July has come and gone. We are officially into August. Looking back, it has been quite a roller-coaster month. Susie’s left ear and fatigue continued to plague her. She did all sorts of antibiotics and steroids to reduce inflammation or get rid of infection in her ear. None of these efforts reduced the fluid in her middle ear. So, she had a tube put in last week to help with draining. She says she feels less pressure now, but her hearing has yet to improve. We have a follow-up with the ENT in two weeks. As to her fatigue, we’ve started to taper her anti-seizure dosage. Hopefully, with these two changes, Susie will be able to get out for walks that are more than a block, hear birds sing and immerse herself in a summertime pool.
In the meantime, Susie and Gabriel joined our dear friends Lisa and Zoe at the Long Center to see Steve Martin and Edie Brickell with the Steep Canyon Rangers. They got a nice surprise with Paul Simon joining for two songs. Even nicer, Lisa called the Long Center about special care for Susie. The Long Center welcomed them at the door and brought them to the donor lounge, where they were able to eat a bit before the show. The surprises continued with Lisa taking Susie backstage where they got to meet Paul Simon. I think Susie kissed him on the cheek, or so they tell me. Nevertheless, it was truly a magical night as Susie came home with a smile from ear to ear.
In addition to the Long Center, my buddy Ted was in town for two weeks. He had his two youngest kids with him. They stayed at his dad’s place on Lake Travis. We were able to join for a couple of days. It was more than him and his kids out there. Two of his sisters and his cousin Charles’ family were there. There was a gang of kids ranging from 3 to 17. Pearl enjoyed riding the Jet Ski with Ted’s daughter Antonia and playing in and around the water. Ted also came in to see us a couple of times. It was nice seeing him and getting to visit. We talked about our trip a few summers ago to Glacier National Park, the Salmon fishing trips to Alaska (that I have missed joining) and life in general. It is too bad we do not live closer to each other.
Looking forward to this month, Susie, her mom (Leora) and I are taking a trip in mid to late August to Virginia. Our nephew (Sam) and his wife (Fran) will be having their daughter baptized. Sam is Susie’s godson and his sweet angel of a daughter is Leora’s first great grandchild. So, there is a lot excitement towards seeing the proud new parents and this new addition to the family. What a nice way to end our summer.
