News

The thing about news is that frequently it is not as good as you had hoped but not as bad as you had feared. So it was this morning at the appointment with the surgeon. He assured us that although the worst is gone, not everything is gone, and it may be necessary for further treatment, which means surgery. However he also said that nothing should be contemplated for at least three months. This will give the residual radiation time to complete the job of killing and shrinking anything that's left. He has given us the green light to head off to the beach with the understanding that the Patient will have another CT scan in May, and perhaps even a PET scan to see if anything has migrated. I am taking this as more good news than bad. When we got home we began making departure plans. Buy the Mexican travel insurance, make copies of all pertinent documents, set up the tables in the garage where we stack stuff to be packed into the car, etc. No matter what, we're going.

Meanwhile, in the real world, that firebrand who coined the nickname "Shrub" for you-know-who has been freed from pain and suffering and will tell Saint Peter, with enormous humor and delight, "Hi, I'm Molly Ivins and I'm here to kick some shit!" I will miss her. She was a real stand-up against what she believed was morally wrong or stupid. If we pay attention we can learn much from her example. She was fearless in her belief that 'we the people" meant 'WE THE PEOPLE, NOT YOU ALONE." Her long-time editor wrote a beautiful tribute to her. Read it and weep at what we have lost.

Our friend Babz presented us with a wonderful keepsake to remind us of what we have been throug, now that we are on the other side. This is what? The guiding star? The star of wonder? The star on our charts? All of this. The glittering star that helps lead us out of the deep darkness that has threatened us but that has been held at bay by force of will, by the love and support of our friends and families.

Tomorrow I head down to Southern California to attend my uncle's 90th birthday. He is the last of the octet of my mother's familial group. He is my mother's brother-in-law. There were four Watkins children; he married my mother's baby sister, who died this past October. All the rest have died, too. Happy Birthday Morrey. And if that celebration were not enough, my very own baby sister Victoria celebrates her 60th on Saturday. Hard to believe. It seems only yesterday that I came home from school, first grade I think, to find this interloper in the house. Where did she come from? I've never been able to figure that out.