We had Brayden and Jalen last week and hardly had time to think. Chris and I took them to meet Mark and Karen for lunch on Friday. Mark and Karen are getting married on December 22. Their other big news is that they have bought a huge sailboat and are keeping it on Lake Michigan. They have invited us to join them for a weekend on the boat, but we're going to wait until they have taken their sailing lessons. Mark will go to the Virgin Islands and spend several days with a crew in the ocean without docking.

Margaret is still in lots of pain with her back. She went to the doctor yesterday and he diagnosed a herniated disc. The doctor is going to treat her with therapy and steroids for two weeks. If that doesn't work they will do a nerve conduction test. I think this will pinpoint the exact spot more accurately. I'm not sure where they will go from there if therapy doesn't work.
She says she is really doped up but the dope doesn't completely ease the pain.

I guess Bernie and Maudie went back to Spokane yesterday. They wanted to come up here but Maudie wanted to be with her sister at this sad time.

Goldman and I took the boys halfway to Louisville Saturday morning to return them to their Dad. They were so happy to see him. They like me to tell them stories when we go to bed. One night they wanted to know what I remembered about the first time I saw Aunt Rose. It was "Rosie, you forgot to wash your legs". I thought it happened in the car on the way to Grandpa's and Rose thinks it happened in church. Which was it?

Rose and Shirley made their monthly trip to Chicago last weekend. I stayed with the Hollensbe's. They always make me very welcome and at home. Their two kids, Josie and Luke, were so good and quiet that we hardly knew they were there. Quite a change from Brayden and Jalen who now are into wrestling as in Wrestlemania. We three old ladies hardly knew what they were talking about. They love to wrestle with each other, using phrases "Six-One-Nine, Takedown," and the like.

Chris and Shelly ran in a half marathon (13 PLUS miles!) on Sunday. They both finished and were very sore on Monday. Does everyone remember when Chris didn't even walk fast? For years he brought up the rear. They're going to try a full marathon in the fall.


I went for my 4th IVIG treatment in this latest series on Monday at Barnes hospital. The neurologists measure my strength every time I go in. This time there was a small improvement which gives me some hope. When I had the treatments iniatially in late 2004, the improvement took some time. I try to ride the exercise bicycle every day and use the arm bike, too. I walk where it is feasible. I've been assigned a new occupational and a physical therapist. They are both helpful which also makes me hopeful. Last week Brayden helped me with my new floor exercises and practiced his counting at the same time.

Pete called with his weekly update. It was so dry in Idaho that he has been having to water. It has been so wet here that most of the men I know can't mow. I think some of them are praying for more rain.