Falling Asleep

I have a cat sleeping at my feet, CNN on the t.v. as I try to keep up with the disastrous fires in the southern part of California, and I'm close to asleep myself.

I meant to get back with an update over the weekend but Ray wasn't doing too well and I was spending time with him.

First, thanks to all of you who responded to my friend Carmen San Diego. Her husband's latest post was quite positive considering how serious her illness is. He also said that so far their home is safe from the fires. Let's hope it stays that way. He thanks all for their prayers and good wishes and said he's been reading them to her.

Another southern California friend reported 85 mph winds outside her home last night and no electricity. Being a true blogger, she wrote her post from the local library. Seriously, as of this morning, she and her family were okay.

The fires are fanned by high wind and spreading rapidly. Please keep all those families and the firefighters (we even sent some from here), in your thoughts.

A friend emailed me to ask if we were in any danger. No, Merced is a couple of hundred miles to the north and east of the fires. My son is in southern CA but he's almost on the Arizona border surrounded by desert.

Ray and I have had what might be called an interesting day. His leg (the one they removed the vein from for the bypass) began acting up a little on Saturday, a little more on Sunday, and by this morning was scaring me enough to call the home health care nurse. (You don't need the description; trust me, it was yucky.) We had a scheduled appointment with his doctor in Modesto this afternoon so we agreed to wait rather than send him to the emergency room here which would mean missing the appointment as well as trying to explain the whole thing to the e.r. personnel.

The doctor decided to admit him to the hospital there for a course of broad spectrum i.v. antibiotics "just in case". Only problem? No beds. We agreed the hospitalization could wait until the next morning and we came back home (50 miles more or less). At 4:30 they had a bed. Naturally. If we'd known, we could have hung out in the hospital cafeteria for an hour. Nobody at the hospital knew it was supposed to be tomorrow and nobody at all called me until 7:30 when the hospital wondered where we were. They insisted it had to be tonight - they couldn't guarantee a bed tomorrow. Don't these people ever talk to each other?

I managed to get there, it got even crazier when they couldn't find an admitting order. Finally, someone figured it out and I left him there after answering the same questions at least four times to four different people. Got home around 11:00 p.m., too tired to sleep.

Almost 200 miles in one day. My coffee drinking friend Janet made the last run and we chattered the whole way and back. Good thing - we might have fallen asleep. Bless her heart, she thought it was the local hospital until she went the wrong direction for the northbound freeway and I mentioned it. Oops. I shouldn't have assumed she knew it would the same hospital where he had the surgery. She was a very good sport. We're not sure about coffee tomorrow (our usual day because it's also senior day at the market). Might both be too tired.

Anyhow, it should be no more than a few days. He might be out by Thursday or Friday. It's common with this surgery for the leg to cause more problems than the chest but I was hoping it wouldn't happen.

Mary and Merle, I had a draft partially prepared with those award buttons but Blogger wouldn't cooperate. I haven't forgotten and I thank you both. Friday's Child, I think I have one from you as well. As soon as life calms down around here, I'll try to post them.

I spoke to the girls on Friday and they were doing well then. Not since so they're either busy or grounded.

Now I'm going to try for some sleep. Take care everyone.