A Trained Squirrel

The King and Queen of Cuba stopped by last night for a game of Parcheesi, Thai food, Cheryl's scones and some idle talk. I was having trouble sitting up but I really wanted to visit with the royal couple, so I took some pain medicine, reducing my Parcheesi threat to the level of a trained squirrel. (And also, I had never played before.) We did have a nice time.

Today is calm with Cheryl and Bingo back at school and me back in my office. I caught up with email and fixed some problems. Nap at 10:30, lunch at noon, probably back for another nap this afternoon. Someone, somewhere, has a better life, but I would have to be convinced.

I have a picture of my mom above my desk. She is smiling, holding a fishing pole with a tiny fish flapping in the air. She's wrapped up tight--this was taken at a cold lake in Minnesota. I notice her fingers are bent with arthritis, probably painful in the cold weather. But still smiling. She always smiled even after her bones started to break from osteoporosis and her headaches and so on. She liked to complain, for sure, but mostly she kept smiling and laughing.

Laughing is one thing I can't do right now. I have to fight it off because it sends a searing pain through my right side. Cheryl makes me laugh all the time--I didn't realize how much.

This morning I explained to Willow that I'm not ready to do any projects. I need a brief sabbatical, with pay. She wants to discuss it with her supervisors, but I think I'm in.