Photos, photos, everywhere

Dear family and friends,

Above are our four sons in late 1965 or early 1966, from the left, Arthur, Lincoln, Harvey and all have hair! Dave, born on July 19th, is growing his first hair. Happy almost birthday, Dave! They all look so precious to me. It's interesting, though, how the relationship with grown children changes—of course it must. They are wonderful people, and we admire them all, each very different from his brothers. The painting above the couch is by Abbott Meader, and we still have it, though elsewhere in the room.

Merwin is engaged deeply, as is his wont, in his current project. He is converting all the slides of people into iPhoto versions. It's wonderful to see these, and very interesting to realize that all the many, many photos of gorgeous scenery no longer have meaning to us. Maybe when they could be projected on a screen and could show their majesty in full we could appreciate them. But it's lucky that Merwin finds these disposable, because that means a little less work for him.

Lincoln is doing very well. Of course the pain meds are indispensable, but he is able to walk around, use my laptop, play his games, and have many conversations with friends. At times, he uses one of the canes we have around, especially when trying to get up from a seated position. It's quite clear, though, that he cannot be left alone. In fact, though we were both in the house, I was busy in the bathroom and Merwin could not hear Lincoln's shouts for help from his study. Lincoln has a loud horn to blow that everyone on the street would be able to hear, but he didn't use it. I finally got to him and was able to help him out of bed, where he was stuck. Scary moment.

Lincoln's appetite is excellent; he is very careful about salt intake, but so are we (mostly), so that's no problem. I am going to make a pasta primavera today for his supper.

I crash very early in the evening, and then of course wake up early, but the deep, dream-filled sleep is wonderful. Still, the negative aspects of CEP-701 and the lack of real relief—plus the problems with swelling—make me think that my time on the drug is going to be limited. Maybe there will be something else, or maybe not. In any case, I am trucking on.

Love to all,
Bernice