Doing Well part II

Mom came through her most recent surgery with "flying colors" as my dad said. Only needed a little adipose tissue (fat) removed as it held the infection focus. Wonderful relief, I tell you!

As I've mentioned before, Dad has some issues with mental health. At least he has been going to the hospital to visit Mom, which is a huge accomplishment. He has problems leaving his bedroom, let alone leaving the house. He takes Inderal before he goes, to help with the anxiety. One can tell when speaking to him on the phone if he is in a panic state as he speaks almost robotically. He literally sounds like a computer generated voice. When I hear that, I don't stay on the phone long--and he just can't.

Meanwhile, we have run all over central VT exploring places to hang out. We are skimming the surface in order to find places that we need to focus on. We are on our fifth full day and we are exhausted. Today will probably be a down day.

One of the highlights of my trip so far was on Monday. We were in Burlington as the Champlain festival was winding down. The Church St. area was literally a riot of people of all kinds. The atmosphere was buoyant; everyone, it seemed, had a smile on the face! And I heard an elderly man passionately reciting a poem in French. I've never heard a person speak French in person before; I'm from the Midwest! Those in the audience nodded and said, "oui, oui," as he spoke. It made me want to learn French to appreciate what this fellow said.

Off to make breakfast!