Better every day

Dear Friends and family,

Last night I used the walker to get from my new recliner bed to the kitchen to take middle-of-the-night meds. I didn't have to call Merwin, but when he heard me he rolled me to the bathroom. Later I went all the way myself into the bathroom with the walker! I think my body must be wonderfully resilient. There is clear improvement every day.

Last night we had a family dinner with all 4 sons and my two beautiful daughters-in-law. The two couples slept over (for A&D it was the last evening of their visit since Tues.), and then Arthur made us breakfast this morning. Dave stopped over this morning with some cake for breakfast dessert. It was the usual family scene: a couple of the sons especially seem to revert to 10-year-old level, but I just let that roll off my back and enjoy their spirit and intelligence. Harvey bought us a new printer to replace the one that just collapsed a couple of days ago. He set it up and taught Merwin how to use some of its bells and whistles: evidently it does everything but clean the oven and wash the clothes.

Now I am eager to continue testing my new walking skills. No call yet from the Visiting Nurse, but by the time he or she comes, I may not need one! A lab person is coming on Monday to draw my blood, which is something I have done about every two weeks. Sergei did a great job on the support bars in the bathroom. They are strong and safe. He is so good: fast and productive. I can give myself a sponge bath and take care of almost all my needs by myself today. His attitude though is a little on the negative side. He looks at me pityingly: With his Ukrainian accent, he mutters something like "to this we all must come." But I disagree: this is not ALL age-related. I had an accident on a bad piece of sidewalk: Arthur and Debbie went to look at it, and I have been given the job of contacting the township and telling them about this dangerous condition. Then I got Sergey to talk about the 120-year-old people in his village, still drinking their Ukrainian version of vodka, etc., and he cheered up a bit. He is now making me a second banister for the steps leading to my bedroom: once that is in place, I think I can get up and down the stairs without too much difficulty because the stairway is narrow, and the two banisters will be a great support.

Hey, I am not complaining! I feel full of life, full of joy, blessed all around with so much. True we are missing certain events, like the planned visit to see Rachael and Michelle's new Lower East Side apartment (that's where Harvey and Sandy went this morning), but that is merely deferred, and Elliott's retirement party tomorrow looks doubtful, but there will be pictures!

Love to all,
Bernice