A nice day to sit by the fire and visit... Come sit a spell

What a surly, cold day. I can't think of anything better to do than count my blessings and stay in where it is toasty.

Please pull up a chair, bring a cuppa and join in.

Tell us how your last summer went.
What are your plans for the coming season?
Any hopes and dreams to accomplish large projects?
How much damage did the hard freeze do?
Or haven't you wanted to peek.
What's for dinner?
Ready for Christmas yet?

I am trying to get some bookwork done today as we are winding the year down at work. Soon time to deliver it to the accountant. I have trouble staying with it though.

I have pizza dough in the bread machine with the toppings ready to go. It smells wonderful as I mix Italian seasonings into the dough mix too. I am also planning to bake some refrigerator cookies (with cherries & pecans) after the oven is heated up.

Hope you will enjoy the warmth of this fire as much as I am...

This message was edited Dec 6, 2009 3:22 PM

One of my blessings to count...

DH built a garage and added a greenhouse for me. It wasn't all according to my plans but it was testdriven on Friday night. We saw a low of 23° here and I was holding my breath. The GH was done and moved into but the wood stove wasn't connected and the wiring wasn't in yet. It was on its' own. It got no colder than 38° inside and the plants all seemed to have endured that temperature.

Wow! neat greenhouse Pod, I bet you are thrilled.

Very attractive greenhouse! Mine is on the south side of the garage and held at 45 degrees during the recent cold spell. I had turned up the propane heater a bit as well as the electric heater that's in there for backup. I lost most of my coleuses last summer due to heat, and I really wanted to keep the ones that survived. The cats asked for a fire in the fireplace tonight, but I was lazy today and did not cut more wood. DH wants to have wood delivered, but I have a chain saw and plenty of oak that was dozed by the fence builders. Getting older is a pain in the ....., but it beats the alternatives.

Ouch! On the getting older ~ certainly not for the faint of heart. My husbands' work shop had burned in '08 and had damaged some nearby oaks so we have firewood. I bought a smaller chainsaw just for me last year and love it. He can no longer run one. Before that I had an electric chain saw but found the need for a cord aggravating.

LOL on the cats asking for a fire. The two newest kittens we added were hinky at the first fire we built. Now they try to ignore it unless it spits and pops. Then, they show their true colors. Those cowards... LOL

Thanks on the greenhouse. I was thrilled and surprised since I didn't know it was in the plans. I thought it was huge till I moved into it and I still moved some plants onto the enclosed back porch. Hoping to put the heater to a test today but will have to move plants around first. We are geting rain so will spend another day under roof I guess.

Patrob ~ how is the old Chevrolet truck restoration going? I hope y'all will post more photos as it develops.

This photo doesn't look as pretty as it looked in person but this stand of dog fennel was covered by ice crystals that were sparkling in the sun on Saturday morning. It was beautiful!

My in-ground tropicals are all scary looking. We had so much rain and warm weather they thought it was spring. Not as panicked this time as I know they are root hardy and will all come back bigger than ever. The tool barn and tiny greenhouse (6X8) are filled to the gills with pots. We had forgotten what a pain it is to keep two electric heaters going as they throw the breaker switch constantly. It runs off the same breaker as the sunroom and we can't have even one light bulb on in the room. aaarrrgghhh. The plants in the little barn are in 10-15 gallon pots and some of them are 10 or more years old. I would die if I lost them. They are too big and too messy to bring inside the house. Oh, also have a row of hibiscus along the inside wall of our attached garage. It is not comfortable there but it is warm enough for the hibs.

Pod, your greenhouse is wonderful. My husband can't build a box so there is no help there. This is the third dark and dreary day. Maybe part of the problem with the heaters, no sun to warm the buildings.

Chris

Love your gh, Podster! I can just see it this spring with hanging basket all acroos the front overhang.
What a nice husband..... Are you going to keep him???

Sunshine helps everything this time of year, but I'm still very grateful for the moisture. This is the first winter since we've had our smaller ranch that there has been any rain at all. There actually is some winter grass in all the pastures, and the cows are enjoying every bite of green. We started feeding hay right after Thanksgiving, a month later than in the previous two years. It was very cold outside this morning, but the horses, calves, and feral cats have been fed. The cows still had plenty of hay in the feeders.

Pod, I guess my DH, Robert, has been posting about the old truck somewhere. The restoration stopped when the man who was working on it in his spare time passed away suddenly. He was only in his 40's, but had a massive heart attack. The owner of the shop where the truck is stored does not have any other mechanics interested in working on an old vehicle, so Robert needs to locate another mechanic and get it moved. He said the engine will turn over now, but it does not fire. (It's no wonder as it was made in 1946 just like I was!)

My big old black cat, LR, really does ask for a fire. He was a starving little orphan when I found him in cold weather thirteen years ago. Even as a kitten, he would stretch out full length in front of the fireplace at our former house until he was toasty and hot to touch on one side and then roll over to toast the other. In our current home, I put an ottoman right in front of the fireplace for him since the hearth is raised. Every evening he gets up there and waits for the fire. He also reminds me to open the glass doors once the fire is burning well. Not spoiled at all. :>) I had placed the rug at an angle, so in the attached photo, LR is not as close to the fire as he usually is.

Christi, I don't think any greenhouse is ever large enough! I keep filling mine full and then shoving to make more room. Now I'm trying to figure out how to get enough shelf space for seed flats. I hope to get some of my tropicals in the ground this year now that all construction has been completed in the back yard. Even the deer fence is finally done. I'm ready for spring!

What a cute pic of the kitties!

Throwing another log on this fire... it is not as cold, just dreary today.

Christi ~ I am glad to have you join us by the fire. As Rjudd said... the first freeze is almost a relief after it kills off the outdoor plants. Now we can cut them back and look forward to spring. It is rather ugly for now though. I do hope you get the wiring corrected so you don't have to deal with that aggravation when the heaters come on.

Bigbubbles ~ yes, he is here to stay. lol I have too much invested as well as many years. My, how time flies.

Patrob ~ you have a beautiful fireplace and agreeable cat collection. Our six would not deign to lay THAT close to each other! Well maybe the two kitten sisters but the rest? No way! Bless you for caring for the feral cats too. Sad that your husband lost his mechanic. It is difficult to find anyone willing to work on older vehicles any more. Seems they should be easier to repair than the new computerized ones.

Off to light the first GH fire. Fingers crossed for success.

We are trying another trick. Last year we purchase a "parabolic" (?) electric heater at Costco for the sunroom. It gives out more heat than the others and draws 1000 w instead of 1500w. Just got back from Costco with another one. Moved the heated oil to the greenhouse and put the Para in the tool barn. So far so good. Even have lights on in the house.

I would never make it in Oregon or Washington state. I need the sun even if it is cold.

My doggies are laying in front of first the fireplace and then the heater, or on the couch with my snugly. I tell them all the time, aren't you glad you're not a dog.

I was born 6 weeks before Pearl Harbor. There were 17 males gone to The War. What children were already born were raised by women....mainly grandmothers while the mommas went to work in the factories.

Pod I would have a daybed and a little desk in the greenhouse.

Chris

We lived on base at Hickam in Honolulu (81-84), and our upstairs front bedroom still have strafe marks in the concrete wall from Dec 7th, a long time ago. We were one block from Pearl Harbor.

I think a desk and daybed are both excellent ideas for your get-a-way, Pod....and possibly a small frig for the warm months after working outside...

Reminds me...when I finally get the lights on the Xmas tree....I can't use the microwave, unless I turn lights off. Oven, etc. works fine...but not the microwave. Trips the circuit breaker every time....and I keep forgetting too...

Pod, That warm fire looks so inviting. I love your greenhouse. It looks like you'll have plenty of air circulation through it in summer. Does it get shaded by the trees during the summer? Here, keeping a greenhouse cool is the biggest problem. That and keeping the Bermuda grass out. I made the mistake of asking for pavers to increase the humidity. Big mistake!!! Next lifetime, it'll be wall to wall grooved cement or solid cement covered with river stones.

Christi, my plants didn't get a chance to harden off either. I'm most concerned over my Crinums. They should come back. They did last year after all that sleet, but the ice cover came later in winter not this early. I was going to leave the dead leaves on as cover.

I returned yesterday after taking my DH to the airport to find the Crinums had been neatly trimmed — exposing more tender growth beneath. We have the materials to replace the fencing around the house and yard to keep the calves and cows out, but the gentleman who was going to do it has the flu. Meanwhile the yard has become a help-yourself smorgasborg. The calves keep shorting out the electric fence. A short time ago during one of his visits home my DH forgot to close the electric gate. The cows got in and ate all my persimmons and some of the leaves as well.

How did the summer go? Ummm...DH has been working out of the state. His job along with thousands of other engineering jobs went overseas to India in 2007. Age discrimination is alive and well in the U.S., but of course an employer won't come out and say so. My DH is overqualified. He wouldn't be happy working there. So he's been working as an independent contractor. I've had to take care of the ranch since August 2007. Things weren't too bad when he was working on the South Texas Project in Bay City. He was on a 4-day week and came home every week-end. But he has been working out of the state since March of this year and comes home every other week-end, but after recovering from 10 - 12 hours work day and working on the list of things that need to be done, I seldom get to really sit down with him and chat. This sets the stage for this past summer. I spent most of the summer feeding the cows and watering my plants.

I will never complain about too much water again although we seen to have a feast or famine situation with rain here in Texas. It was so nice to sit back for a few short months after the rains came and watch the cattle graze on green grass for a while. It's back to hay now that the freeze has killed the Bermuda grass. I found some temporary help just in time to pack all my potted plants back into the greenhouse. During the year I had to move some of the plants up to bigger pots so getting them to fit back into the greenhouse was a challenge. My Brugs seem happy in there and the cool temperatures in the greenhouse agrees with them. Going into the greenhouse in the evening is such a treat. About 7 of my Brugs are blooming and the fragrance is heavenly. If I can keep them growing and healthy, I'll have some cuttings available early spring.

I built a mini-greenhouse for the only Brug I have in the ground. I don't have an outdoor outlet anywhere near it so using a heater or Christmas lights is out. I'm using pipe insulation, bubble wrap, frost cloth, tubs of water and plastic to help it overwinter. I'm also going to spray exposed areas of the Brug with a new product called Freeze-Pruf, which is supposed to increase a plant's cold tolerance by as much as 9ºF. I didn't get a chance to completely set things up, but I finally worked up the courage to peek into the mini-greenhouse and found that my Brug had made it though this first freeze. Of course the ground was still warm. I'll find out in March how well this set up will work.

Our older son is coming for Christmas! We haven't seen him since Father's Day. I wish we lived closer to both our children. Unlike most families where the children go away to college and then move out of the house. Our children stayed put, we moved out. We moved to Texas. LOL. I'm looking forward to seeing him again. That week will scoot by so quickly.

Biggest hope, dream, challenge this coming year will be building our new house. After all these years of talking about it, it is finally coming true. Not the best of circumstances because I'll bear the brunt of the responsibility since DH is commuting between here and Mississippi, but I finally gave in. Better get it built before I'm too old to enjoy it. LOL. House plans have change three times. Not a project I look forward to. I remember the major remodeling we did to our house in San Jose.

Patrob, Your kitties look so cute lying together in front of the fire. Our two have only been that close one evening when the power went out and they took refuge on the bed together. What we do for our kitties. Our cats are indoors only cats because our younger cat has scarred lungs due to a bout of histoplasmosis. Our new house will have an small outdoor patio/pet enclosure so they can enjoy a bit of the outdoors without exposure to all the hazzards. My DH thinks I'm nuts.

This is Winston, the true owner of this house. He's the one with the scarred lungs.

Good evening! Think I'll pull up a chair by the fire. It was such a sloppy, dreary day today.

Things are picking up at work since Christmas is quickly approaching. Makes for a very tired girl when I get home.

We are planning on enlarging our veggie garden this spring. I sure hope the husband gets around to doing that since I have enough seeds to probably plant an acre of plants! LOL Maybe on the warmer days during the winter we can get out there and work on it. It's too much to do in the spring and we didn't have time to do it before the freeze arrived.

Everything looks like it survived the freeze. The Esperanza died, but it'll come back in the spring. I haven't really had time to venture out in the flower beds to check everything though.

Here's my special needs kitty, Hannah Grace, enjoying the sun in the enclosed sunroom. Both she and my other cat love to be out in the sunroom! We call it "outside" for them because that's as close to the outside world they're going to come to! Anyway, Hannah's got feline herpes and is very prone to upper respiratory infections. She has to be on a special diet and take Lysine and an antihistamine daily. I love her to pieces, though! She's quite the character. LOL

Nice fire! My remaining four cats don't like each other, any of them. The 5th cat, Brat, just passed away recently and I really miss him! Missy and Brat were the only ones of my kitties that liked each other.

Bettydee ~ you have had a full plate for a while it sounds like. I suspect the crinums will be allright. I would be sure to mulch them heavily before the next freeze. I'm not sure which ones you have but if they don't make it, I will share what I have. I can't imagine the task of overseeing new house construction alone. I hope you have located a trustworthy contractor. Your comment on age discrimination makes me glad to be self employed. I cannot imagine being in the workforce at 60 and trying to keep my job. Winston is a handsome man... is he an older cat?

On the greenhouse ~ no, it doesn't have good summer shade. The afternoon will be the worst ~ that is one of the things I didn't have input on. I shall have to move everything out or try leaving the succulents under a heavy shade cloth. I realized that when we were working on it. Y'all, I am one step ahead of you. I have a writing desk in there already. I also told DH that when the next hurricane that knocks our power out, I was moving to the greenhouse. I have a jurors cot that is comfortable and portable. There will be decent ventilation on three sides and there is a door to the next storeroom where I could set a portable potty for privacy. I suggested a composting commode but got rolling eyes for that one and guess I better not co~opt too much of that storeroom space. LOL

I only have three unnamed Brugs ~ a yellow, a white and a pink. The yellow is still blooming and the greenhouse smells strongly of it at night. The white one has quite a few seed pods which I've never seen before.

LOL Christi on your "not a dog" doggies. Life is good when at your house... I can tell. I do agree on needing the sun but days will soon be growing longer.

LindaTX ~ I am always sorry to hear of the passing of a loved pet. I sob when I have buried ours and say no more but DH says you wouldn't take this moment of sadness not to have enjoyed all those years of their company. Amazing how no two are the same. We can't replace them but another will find that special place in our hearts.

I am delighted to be surrounded by cat and dog lovers. I think when we take them in and provide for their needs, we are blessed in many ways. Stephanie ~ does Hannah Grace take her meds with grace?

I had to give Pearlie a paste medicine tonight and she foamed at the mouth till it looked like a beard. Had to have tasted terrible, next time I will ask for the pill instead. She has pale blue eyes but won't let me get a photo of them.

Our bitty little Rion greenhouse is only 6X8. Outgrew it before it was even assembled. All clear walls and ceiling and can get over 120 in the summer. First thing we did was put shade cloth on the side and top on the south. Not enough. Currently we have the 12X20 Auto cover over it as well. Looks crazy but it works. 4th day with no sun. yuk!

All of my brugs are in ground and uncovered. They came back last year and have been blooming like crazy. Really a sight last week when the brugs, gingers, banana, and elephant ears were all covered with snow. I discovered that the brugs are root hardy and come back bigger than ever. What a relief to not have to fuss over them as I have in the past.

This weather is aggravating my "rheumatism" (haven't heard that word in a long time) so I may just have to get under the comforter and take a little nap. One of the perks of being older and retired.

Later ladies,
Chris

Mind if a hairy- legged man joins y'all? Need to warm my aching joints,..as well! This drizzly, sloppy mornin' is tryin' to make me blue...especially when I look out and see all my "formerly-known-as-beautiful" healthy plants.....suffering from "ruptured-cell-wall-itis"
dark & mushy....oh well....most will rebound in Spring. My 4 legged kids & DW easily lift my spirits. A picture of the 4 amigos....Terror (pronounced with a Boston accent or "Tara")...the Jack Russell, Patches...the Aussie-Heeler mix, Rudy...the Sheltie-Mutt mix and the Golden mix...AKA - "the biggest puppy in Montgomery County".....Buster. All are rescued.....waiting to come inside their oversized doghouse!

ooops. so sorry. All the men in the country are welcome. Now that is one beautiful family. I can just feel the slobbery kisses now.

Chris

I'll take the liberty to post one of my favorite pics, taken last September in the wee hours of the morning as the worst of a massive storm blew by. Hope you like it.

WillisTxGarden ,Love all those doggies. So cute waiting to come in....perfect pic
antiquedrose, That is a beautiful picture....esp knowing it was after a storm
Anna

Welcome WillisTx we don't discriminate. Everyone is welcome to throw another log on this fire. Glad to see you and Anna and the lovely Antiqued Rose joining us. Pull up a rocker or chair but be careful of all the cat tails and wagging dogs underfoot. Looks like we'll have a houseful. I love the picture of the hopeful yet patient dog pack. I always admire the rescuers. I am not dogless ~ one was saved from a trip to the pound and the other had received some previous injuries prior to being dumped on my porch. I am a pushover.

AntiquedRose your photo is beautiful. It shows so much depth. Have you considered entering it in the next DG photo contest?

Bananna ~ I haven't seen you around lately. You must be keeping busy. How did your garden grow this past summer?

The wind is really starting to kick up out there. I know we won't see the bad weather they are getting up north but looking at a dip in temps again tomorrow night.

I need to sit down even though I have been sitting all day. I drove into Austin for for the first of who knows how many discussions of building options, compromises, etc. I drove through the drizzle for almost 2 hours. I can't believe it takes that long to travel 63 miles. Then I had to drive back in almost identical conditions.

AntiquedRose, that is a beautiful photo. There is a restful quality about it. Very welcomed right now. :-)

Love the doggies...and the after-storm photo! I saw just a little sun today...not much, but the drip-drip was getting old. I'm getting to be uneasy about the vacant place next door. Stuff going on there over the weekend. Party Central for the kids or who? I guess I'll have to keep a close eye on it on the weekends. I heard a slightly beat-up woman was found wandering around the neighborhood on Saturday night and a deputy came out to get her. On Sunday, the back door of the vacant place was open and I heard noises, then a car took off. For pete's sake, this is the country! Not exactly a high-crime area.

I bet that was scary. Is the hose abandoned or up for sale. If for sale, maybe the realtor can make the place more secure.

Not up for sale yet...DH checked, not listed anywhere that he found. The couple had broken up and she couldn't afford it anymore, so they moved. I wonder if it would do any good to call the bank that has the note on it. A guy we know said he'd call the neighborhood association guy to see what can be done. It's not the first time someone was over there.

Hope there's more wood for the fire! Supposed to be another cold one tonight! Really, I don't like this really cold weather so early in the season. DH went out and threw the cover on the lettuce. Let's hope it keeps everything alive.

Stephanie

The wind will be howling and very cold by morning. I'm trying to remember how hot and miserable it was in July and August. I know we have some nice days in between the extremes, but they never last long enough to suit me.

"hot and miserable" Mmmm ~ that sounds good. 8 )

I am off to work. I hope someone will keep the fire burning while I'm gone.

first bloom on the white blood lily ~ Haemanthus albiflos

Key word "miserable".....hot or cold! What a beautiful flower, Pod!

I just tossed a couple of nice sized pieces of dried pecan on the fire....just for the aromatic therapy. Daytime....is essentially...my nighttime
and vice versa...I work the graveyard shift...went to work last night in short sleeves...oblivious to the predicted "norther"....albeit a weak short lived one.

Linda....I'm guessing that you have the sheriff's number near the phone....& maybe a Remington pump...just for back up?

Brrrr!! It's just downright chilly and windy out there this morning! The water on the roads was frozen this morning as I was driving to my appointment. My plans for the day include staying inside. I need to decorate the Christmas tree and start my holiday baking.

The cats have figured out how to trigger the lights for the tree. We have a pre-lit tree and it has a thing that sits on the floor that you hit with your foot to turn the lights on & off. I accused the husband of leaving a light on in the front room when we went to bed, only to discover the kitties did it! LOL My older cat has also been playing with the tree skirt and using it as a toy to hide under. She's never been so interested in the tree and I've had her for 11 Christmases!

Sheriff's number is easy. We don't have a gun but plan to get one. I'll have to go for training...never shot a gun in my life!

Thanks for the welcome podster. Saw this thread last year but it was so deep and wide by the time I popped in, I shyed away.

Glad ya'll liked the pic. It was taken with a camera phone in dim light, usually those don't come out for me. I'll check out the photo contest. My FIL loves this photo and is getting a framed printout for Christmas.

This year, our DD took our (uncomfortable for reclining, good riddance) couch to her 1st apt. So I bought a daybed instead of a couch. This jewel is positioned right in front of the fireplace. These days, it's all about function, not form.

Later!

Hey Linda,

I learned to fire a pistol and shotgun through the Becoming an Outdoor Woman program sponsored through the Texas Parks and Wildlife program. This super high quality program with classes from birdwatching to canoeing is fun and informative. You'll meet all types of women and will be comfortable going without knowing anyone.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/bow/

Linda, vacant houses are definitely a liability. We have house on our block of well settled, hard working people that has been chronically vacant. During the time I was HOA president we noticed a new family. The Welcome Committee baked cookies and got a copy of our by-laws, went to visit and welcome them. Found out a couple of months later they were SQUATTERS! We didn't even know how to think like that. Called the police dept. and they left very quickly. If it looks stinky, it is. Don't take any chances. Have it check out.

Christi

Hello to everyone. I've been missing all the news and goings on and the fire. It's nice to see everyone on here.

The freeze really zapped my garden. I think everything is the back yard is going to have to be cut to the ground and some things may not come back at all. The front doesn't look much better and I've probably lost a few plants there as well. I think the porterweed, the Mexican Bird of Paradise shrub and a few others are goners for sure. I just didn' t have time to even move pots, much less wrap or cover anything. I've been running in circles for the past few weeks and plants were my least concern. My DH had been having a bit of indigestion and then started with a bit of pain in his stomach. I finally said enough and made him go to the doctor. She ordered some tests for him, but I took him back in to see her before they could be done because his pain was getting worse. She admitted him to the hospital that same day and they did an endoscopy the next day. We found out he has stage 4 esophageal cancer that's already spread to stomach and lymph nodes. He was in the hospital for 4 days and once released we spent the next 2 weeks trying to get into M.D. Anderson. We finally got enough people with connections to call and get us into the gastro unit. He's started chemo this week and I've been to classes to learn how to handle the permanent long line catheter in his arm. His prognosis is startling. This cancer is becoming more common, but my husband had none of the risk factors. It's usually men, over 60, smokers and obese. He's never smoked, never been overweight at all and is only 56. They said that esophagael is really bad because it spreads quickly and there are no symptoms until it's too late to do anything. His life expectancy is less than 12 months. I have never had to deal with anything this difficult in my life. My first husband died while I was pregnant with my oldest son and my father died of a heart attack a few weeks later, but I was 20 years old and being pregnant gave me reason enough to not go off the rails. My God, my life sounds like a bad country song or a soap opera. Nobody should have this much bad stuff in one lifetime. I'm dealing with this as best I can, but it's sure the toughest thing I've ever done.

Sorry to put a damper on the cheer of the winter fire and friendly chat. I just wanted by DG buddies to know what's going on and that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth (yet).

Crow

Father God, we have been at your throne often lately. So many of our friends with heartbreaking news. But you have won the battle. With your grace they are in the process of healing. We are here once again Dearest Lord asking for your grace for the patient and his family. It is not time for this young man to leave us, Lord. Your miraculous healing is being witnessed every day. This is yet again opportunity for testimony of your power. We believe all things are possible to them that love the Lord. Thank you for this day and we have faith that there will be many tomorrows.

Amen

Never is it a "wet blanket" when one of us needs support. I have been the recipient more than once of prayers from every corner of the world. Our Father listens and immediately moves.

His angels are with you, watching over you and the medical technicians. We are all here right beside you. Never, ever alone.

Please take your heartache to the Prayer Forum. You will not believe the response.

We love you and are here for you at all hours. Test us and you will see.

Brrrr !!! I am glad to see the fire is still going. I think we will need it tonight for sure. Tis the time of year to keep warm clothes in the car just in case we get one of these drastic weather changes.

Linda ~ I agree you have a bad situation there. I know this isn't feasible for most of us. We know one family that bought the vacant house next door. That way, they can control the neighbors that live there by renting it out. There is no easy answer for that situation but I would mention it to your Sheriffs' Dept and ask if they have an officer in that area that he cruise by there occasionally. That way should you need someone quickly, they will know exactly where it is. It will also serve to document the earlier problems you are having.

AntiquedRose ~ LOL on

Crowelli ~ I am glad you checked in... you had been on my mind and I was hoping you would find the fire and join in. My heart breaks for you both. I know we try to find reasons for what is happening in our lives and it is not always apparent. The reason may fall into place years from now. I feel that he has been and will be blessed to have you with him and caring for him through the difficult days ahead. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your husband and if we can assist in any manner, please say the word. Kristi

Crow....my heart goes out to you. I can only imagine the pain and frustration you're experiencing. It's fortunate that you've persevered and gotten him into M.D. Anderson. Can't be in better hands. Hope you're surrounded by family there. I know it sounds trite, but I'm sincere in asking...if there's anything I can do....all you have to do is ask. I'll say a prayer tonite for you both. Sandi