Later On

Things are improving here, but getting worse elsewhere.

For me, my cold is just about gone -- it's on that 'oh, I haven't coughed in -- (kaff kaff kaff) --some (gasp) time!' cycle. With luck it'll be gone by tomorrow. My daughter's also better, though, as she was worse off than me, she seems to be taking longer -- still has a scratchy voice and sneezing.

My wife, though, got some bad news about a friend and about a neighbor, both of which shook her up considerably.

For one, she learned that the sixteen year old daughter of our neighbor has some kind of serious intestinal illness which they think might be Crohn's, though they're not sure. She's been so afflicted that for the last three months she's been out of school entirely, getting her lessons at home from a tutor. This would be bad news for anyone, but when it's a teen, it feels particularly grim.

For the other, she learned that her childhood friend, with whom she's been close since, well, forever, just had a double mastectomy done, reason unknown. She's hoping that the procedure was partially therapeutic and partially prophylactic, and not that it's spread to both breasts. Whatever the reason, it's shaken her quite a bit. She'll likely make a run up to her mother's house as soon as feasible, to be with her friend.

Unsettling news, to put it mildly. Puts any thoughts of your own problems into a new perspective.