Update as of Sept. 20, 2009

Well, it's been a week without too many ups and downs.

Dad's weight actually went up a bit this week. Was he retaining water? Maybe, but his lungs were clear. Did he eat more this week? Perhaps. Was it the fluctuations of the moon? It seems entirely possible to me!

On Monday, Martha, Marshall's oldest daughter, got him out on the porch for a few minutes. He seemed to enjoy the lovely fall day, but when Martha asked me the next day if he'd suffered any ill effects, I said apparently not--Monday evening when I asked Dad if he'd gone outside, he told me no.

I've mentioned that Dad still jokes about things. He has very dry skin and despite all our efforts often feels itchy. One day this week, I said to him, "Dad, stop scratching that leg!" He replied, "But it's the only one that's itching," and laughed.

Dad's days and nights have gotten reversed, so he sleeps more in the day. We're working hard to get the problem turned around, giving him a sleeping pill--that so far seems to make him sleepy in the morning--and for the last couple of days (at the nurse's recommendation) we've been getting Dad up and into the livingroom for an hour or so. It's nice to see him up again, and I'll need to get the Perry Mason DVDs in order, so they're on hand and ready to slip in at a moment's notice.

One thing I failed to mention in my last post: we hope that if you pray for Dad, you'll pray (as we are praying) that he can pass away gently and easily here at home.

Thanks for your interest in Marshall, we'll look forward to reading your comments.

Alison