See You In Two Weeks

Last Tuesday's regular appointment with Dr. Schulick was more of a "Keep Me Posted" review than anything dramatic other than Dr. S saying I won't need to see you for two weeks. When he came in, he said you look great. You look healthier, stronger, more energetic. He looked at the two openings and commented on how well the upper wound was healing. The output from the fistula has been steadily decreasing, but he didn't take that as particularly significant. When asked about the potential for a third surgery, he advised we'll have to be patient. Officially we are in "wait and see" mode and should have a better sense of the when and where of a next step at the October 20th appointment. This whole visit took less than five minutes and Dr. S. was not accompanied by his usual entourage.

Upon his exit, the nurses, playing the part of the ancient Biblical m'turgemon (translator/interpreter), said, you've received the, "you're looking good ... healing well ... be patient ... hang in there ... (and) ... let things develop at their own pace ... Dr. Schulick Pep Talk."

Faina is feeling a lot better. She has been spending more time with visitors and taking longer walks. We have explored a few local trails and, following brother Russell's advice, headed to the Pig Tail Trail. That turned out to be well timed for time of day, temperature, and moisture as there were mushrooms in great abundance. Faina the Mycophagist pointed out the good and bad ones and took home a few prizes that she dried and put away for another day, when her nutrition will be the more traditional method, not TPN. (Indeed, real food is still on her mind.)

Our sukka was blown to smithereens twice this year. Kohelet, like everything else in Torah and tefillah it seems, takes on greater meaning this year, both for what is going on in our lives and in paralleling world events:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. (Kohelet 3: 1-8)