Friday, October 31, 2008



My high school is on a college campus whose mascot is Pirates, so this year, in homage to them, my staff dressed like pirates for Halloween. I have a fun staff. 

Monday, October 27, 2008

A Double Heart Attack


When I think about my most valuable possession, it's probably my wedding ring designed by my father's friend since childhood. Or the ring I wear with it from Ireland that Jim gave me for our 20th wedding anniversary. I hope I never lose these precious items. But I think about my dad, whom I love far more than these, and no matter how much I try to hold onto him, and how much I protect him and care for him, I'm going to lose him. It's a given. When my dad had a heart attack in the wee hours of the morning last Monday, I realized how quickly things can change. One day he's planning his next road trip and practically needing a social secretary to keep up with all the fun things he does, and the next he's in the hospital looking more tired than an old Rambler. The head of cardiology said "I've done a lot of heart surgeries, but I've never met anyone with 16 heart bipasses." (He was one of the first people to have open heart surgery in 1975, and had two more heart surgeries after that.) He's out of the hospital now, and I hope he'll make a full recovery. But I think my heart is a little damged from the ordeal, too.