In the Company of Children

The children (that would be Andrew and Emily) and their mother (that would be Alex) have gone back to Long Beach after a wonderful four day visit. These kids are not only smart, funny, charming, well raised and way above average, they are also kind. This is a trait frequently missing in the young. But they have it in a generous abundance. I can only thank their parents for their diligence in seeing that their offpring pay attention. Emily has gotten her braces off and her smile is more dazzling than ever. Andrew, at 18, is tall, big, and delightful. He taught me many things about my Mac about which i was totally ignorant, and fixed some glitches that had been pestering me. We had a wonderful time together with good meals, great shopping, lively conversation around the dinner table, and everywhere else, too. We will see them again either when we go to/come home from Mexico OR when we go to Andrew's graduation from Thacher School on June 2, 2007.

This morning Jim was feeling pretty good. Although he did not go up to the Farmers' Market as usual, he did attempt to clean the pool of pounds of the detritus that has fallen into it over the past few days. We had quite a wind here night before last and it left big piles of leaves and other droppings all over the garden. I looked at the pool; it reminded me of some neglected scum pond in a Southern mansion. But between Jim's attention to scooping up the leaves with the screen and the automatic pool sweep, it looks pretty good. Of course, it's about 60 degrees so there's not much chance of a complaint about how filthy the pool is and how nobody can swim . . .

This evening, Jim's throat is again quite sore and he is uncomfortable. I think this is because he talks during the day, feels pretty good and tries to drink things that irritate his throat, esp. the apple juice, and is generally tired from the day's activities. He has vowed that, beginning January 1 -- in two days -- he will start eating more, or at least trying to eat more. Until he is off the feeding tube we are NOT going to travel. And he wants to travel.