Thursday, February 10 - Melting, melting, melting....

There is still snow everywhere.  Today it is interspersed with huge patches of brown winter grass and bare dirt and rocks.  The sun is shining so bright it gives new understanding to me of the word snow blind.  The weather is still cold...my indoor/outdoor thermometer says it is 40 degrees out and the thermometer on the back porch post says it is 30 degrees....I reckon that's the difference between the temperature out front in the bright sunshine and out back where the house itself blocks the sunshine with its shadow.

My father is in the hospital in Grapevine, Texas.  He celebrated his 91st birthday in November.  Last Sunday he felt so sick that he asked to have 911 send an ambulance to pick him up and he has been in the hospital ever since.  The doctors have diagnosed him with a blood infection and with congestive heart failure.  Both things are dangerous, but now they have him on a strong antibiotic to treat the infection and they are regulating his diet and liquid intake so as to get rid of any buildup of fluid and congestion.  The antibiotic is so strong that they don't plan to send him home for another 25 days or so depending on how the infection is cured and stays gone so today there is a plan to move him from the hospital in Grapevine to another hospital, an acute care hospital in Denton.  I have not heard for sure yet today whether they moved him or not.

My husband had an appointment to see an orthopedic oncologist in Little Rock on Friday last week, but it snowed that day and was coming down so thickly that the appointment was moved to February 25th.  He let them know that if there is any other opening, any cancellation that he can fill, that he can be there quick if they will only let him know.  He was told they suspect a large cell tumor at the top of his tibia.

And that's it for the 'bad news'.  The good news is that we are both safe and warm and the electricity has not wavered throughout all the hours that the snow was falling.  I took lots of pictures and plan to look at them and add them to this blog...as soon as I figure out how to do it.  I am still learning something new every day!  Does that ever stop?  I hope not!  The snow was so beautiful that I am hoping my pictures will show how it outlined the tree branches and covered the front lawn and made it completely white, untouched, pristine.