Thanks to all of you

Tim and I didn't get back with Ray until after 3:00 p.m. I got Ray settled with his beloved sci-fi, the kids had other supervision, and I went to sleep until 9:00. No school tomorrow so no need to set alarm tonight.

I answered as many of you as I could. To the rest, thank you all so much. I read some of the comments to Ray and he was touched as well. He's not a computer person and was surprised by all the people sending him good wishes.

He's asleep now and seems to be feeling much better. We still don't know what it was and they want him to return in a couple of week to their cardiologist and meantime see his primary physician here (probably Monday because we were so late coming back).

I was a little delayed getting out of here, we ran into a little traffic and two trains (still in Merced), and then I turned the wrong way off the freeway going into Modesto. I knew better but it's been quite a while since I've been there. Fortunately I printed out a map before I left and Tim got to navigate. It's another city with numbered and alpha streets so once we saw 5th street when we should have seen 9th, it was easy enough to say oops and turn back across the freeway. I was hungry so we stopped for fast food a few blocks from the hospital. Modesto is a strange place. It has a functioning railroad track running down its main downtown street - right in the middle, with traffic on either side. I wasn't in that section today. Wanted to show Tim but another time. Many cities have that with trolleys and I was used to it in San Francisco but this is the first actual railroad (Southern Pacific) that I'd seen.

Ray didn't know he was being discharged when I got there. Probably they didn't want him stressed watching the door and the clock. He was eating lunch so we waited for that and then for all the discharge instructions. On the way back, we encountered a traffic jam caused by a tractor-trailer (on the other side of the freeway) which had overturned and struck a house just off the freeway and spilled acid. No serious injuries and the spill was cleaned up. The delay on our side was caused by rubberneckers. Wow!! - look at that!! (as they all slow to 15 mph.)

We just missed being in the middle of it going northbound. If we had stopped for food as originally planned instead of waiting until Modesto, we would have been involved in the huge traffic snarl directly caused by the accident. We figure we were about five minutes ahead.

Hwy 99 can be treacherous. Huge trucks and much of it is still only two lanes each direction. Some of it isn't even controlled access. That section was 3 lane freeway but it's still not enough for the traffic. One idiot passed on the shoulder around the right lane southbound traffic before we came to the traffic jam. I was running between 70 and 75 in a 65 (shhh) - flow of traffic in middle of 3 lanes - he had to be going at least 90. He cut from the far left across all the lanes to the far right, onto the shoulder, back, and kept on going. Gravel everywhere. Never slowed down. I did and so did everyone else. I wanted to give him all the room he wanted. People are nuts sometimes.

Elcie and Rochelle both have scratchy throats and we'll see how they feel tomorrow. Their pediatrician's office won't be open but I can get them in to Urgent Care who will probably just write another cephalexin prescription since Rebecca had strep throat. I was hoping to get lucky but maybe not.

Their mom took over like a real trouper today along with my friend Dawn who was here when the hospital called. I came home to a well organized bedroom (except for Ray's side - she knew that would traumatize him), all the clean laundry put away (was on my list for today) beds made, dinner cooked and girls behaving. Tasha had given them a talk about being nice to each other so Grandpa could rest. I think they listened. It's been very calm with lots of hugs to Grandpa. He always blesses them before bedtime and they missed that. He puts Elcie on the bus in the morning (others could do it including me but it's become a tradition of sorts that I think they'd both miss). We are pretty casual but we do have our little routines and when one person is missing who should be here, it throws everyone off. It must be hard for people who travel as part of their jobs. I enjoyed working but, as I look back, there is much to be said for being home. Of course I'm older now too and that makes a difference. I couldn't do both anymore - not with the kids and Ray. I need to be right where I am.

This is my blessing for today and yesterday and the day before. Whether we think of it as prayer, good thoughts, or just a reassuring word to me and my family, it seems to have worked.