I'm way behind on my postings but so is everyone else. It was a great kids' week. Our 18th annual one. Mike Lynch came for a few days. Chris was there for the second weekend and got to meet some of his Kansas relatives that he hadn't met before. Leslie from Springfield came up and cooked us one of her fabulous meals. Leslie, would you send me another recipe for that green stuff? It was a mover and every little bit was scarfed up. Sabrina and Debby took the copy of the recipe that you brought me.

One of my nice neighbor helped the guys get the waverunner from the shop and it is running great. Thank you, Dave Meisel. Mad Dog had to leave before our pork steak meal but came back over from his dad's and cooked them for us. Again, I think we ate every morsel. Groves came for both weekends. Scott's boys brought a friend, Christian, and between the three of them and Junior they kept the red thing (spinning thing they ride in behind the boat) in action as long as they could get someone to pull them.

I believe there were quite a few pictures taken. I'm waiting for someone to post them on the blog and also to add some updates about the happenings during the week. Attendance was down for a kids' week but jobs and kids and responsibilities tend to make things different as we get older.

Since I came back I've been doing a lot of doctoring. On the way home with Ding on that Sunday evening I had an awful attack of pain in both my legs. We were on our way to the emergency room when Chris's car quit, so we called on Dave Smith who was there in a matter of minutes. Thanks again, Dave. The emergency room gave me pain pills, which relieved the pain, and sent me on my way. Shelly picked Chris and me up and dropped us at Rose's house. Rose was in Chicago so we could use her car next day since I had an appointment with one of my neurologists - the seizure one who was born in Springfield in the same hospital as Donald and I were. This doctor has me in an experimental drug for seizures along with lots of other people where I keep a diary of my seizures until Sept. 22 and then go back and add the drug to the medication I am already taking, or it could perhaps be a placebo, or they may switch it midway through the test where I take half the drug and placebo, or it might be the new drug all the way through. I won't know what I'm taking. Also, I can quit any time if I chose to. I really like this doctor, and he seems confident about my trying this. While I was there they took 5 vials of blood. I'm not easy to get blood from, and, having been limited to 16 ounces of fluid by my primary care physician for several days before, it was even more difficult. I looked like a pincushion when they finally finished with me. Then one of the vials showed I was anemic (which I wasn't the night before at the emergency room) so I had to get more blood testing done again yesterday between other doctor visits. Sure enough, I'm not anemic.

Shirley got back from Chicago on Monday and Rose got back on Tuesday. As soon as Rose got home we went to my primary care physician about my legs pain. The doctor assumed it was the recurring problem from last February and told me to make an appointment with the same vascular surgeon. When I called for the appointment, the nurse asked did I want an office visit or did I want to schedule surgery. Needless to say, I wanted an office visit. When Rose and I went for the office visit yesterday morning, the surgeon said the problem and pain in my legs may be from arthritis in my back. Rose and I were both so taken aback that there were several questions we were too stunned to ask. Can I live on pain pills? Is the blood thinner he has me on necessary? What did he do in that first surgery? If it's arthritis, was the first surgery necessary? He did send me yesterday afternoon to MoBap Hospital for a test with the vascular nurse for whole-system blood pressure testing. I think that's what it was for. The nurse told me she would have the results to the surgeon on Wed. He told me he would call me in a week. The nurse said if she were me she would call him on Thursday and I plan to do that.

That's all the doctoring news. I'll update with more regular news next time. Need more updates from around the reading area!!!