On the mend

If I can keep Andy from fighting with cats, and if Jimmy behaves himself, they'll be just fine. Jimmy still doesn't have any energy and his chest is tight and he coughs a lot, but he hasn't had fever since Thursday: a BIG improvement.

Springy

Just for fun

My brother William is my Internet guru. From him I learned about EBay and Auction Sniper and Google Earth and now he's told me about another fascinating website: maps.google.com

You go to the website and type in an address, for instance, say, 134 E Marion St, Madison, FL. Then when it comes up, hit street view and you can use the cursor to get photographs in every direction.

If you haven't tried it, do. It's fun. And don't thank me; thank William: brayc@aol.com

Cat 1, Dog 0: an ignominious rout

The vanquished nurses his wounds while his nemesis, Ricky the Cat, gloats

at the blood-spattered scene of the skirmish.

*******************************************************************

Andy's sturdy eight pound chihuahua body quivered with excitement when we pulled into the driveway and he spotted Ricky, one of the neighborhood cats, perched on the back steps with our cat, Fred. Primed for battle, Andy charged at them as soon as I opened the car door, but Ricky, aggrieved by such nonsense, bowed up and swatted Andy in the face.

Andy ran yelping back to me, dripping blood like he'd tangled with Freddy Krueger in one of those slasher movies, and I panicked. Throwing my armload of groceries down on the sidewalk, I wrapped Andy's head in a towel, and we rushed to the vet. By the time we got there, his poor little face was so swollen that the bleeding had almost stopped, but at that point, we were one bloody pitiful pair.

Told that such injuries bleed a lot and look worse than they are, I calmed down, but Andy was a lucky dog that Ricky's claw had caught his cheek and not his eye. Let's hope that in the future Andy chooses his battles more wisely.

Pneumonia: the lesser evil

Dr. Eric Anderson, Jimmy's oncologist at the Pearlman Cancer Center, said that the Xrays taken Sunday at the ER confirm Jimmy's having pneumonia, and he wants him to stay on the Levaquin for ten more days.

It may sound strange, but we were actually relieved when he was diagnosed with pneumonia: at least now we know what's wrong and we can treat it, and he'll be okay in a few weeks.

Still feels like yesterday

When we were driving home from the ER Sunday, Jimmy said, "I just had the most peculiar feeling: I was thinking that I needed to call Mama to let her know what's going on, when it hit me that she's gone. Does that ever happen to you?"

"All the time."

"How long will that keep happening?"

"I don't know." I told him. "I'll let you know if it ever stops."

Fit to be tied

With Jimmy's being housebound so much, the television blares constantly, usually tuned to CNBC, which is heavily into constant blaring. One of the more annoying blarers, Larry Kudlow, asks his guests questions, then interrupts them mid-sentence when they've barely begun to answer.

But if you ever manage to get past his rudeness, you can't help noticing his wardrobe, with his boldly striped suits, his contrast-collar shirts, his pink or lilac polka-dotted ties. Curious, I googled him and learned that he wears bespoke suits by Savile-Row trained tailor Leonard Logsdail, and ties by Turnbull and Asser (by appointment to HRH the Prince of Wales), Vineyard Vines, and Venazi.

It used to be, when you wanted to know something, you'd go look it up in the World Book, or Encyclopedia Britannica, or a World Atlas, but information was hard to find. What a joy the Internet is, making such delicious trivia so immediately accessible.

Down day

It's 8PM and Jimmy's fever has only gone to 100.4, and he has slept, off and on, all day. He says he feels pretty rough.

Andy came home today, after spending the past week with Mary and Jackie. Sometimes Andy's love and affection can be a bit overwhelming, and Jimmy has been so cranky, I was afraid he might kick the dog, or at the very least, Andy wouldn't understand Jimmy's rejection, and get his feelings hurt.

Afternoon in the ER

After Jimmy was racked by a hard chill this morning, we piled on the blankets and cranked up the heated mattress pad, but he was soon burning up with a 103.2 fever. He took Tylenol and Dr. Stubbs' advice, and we headed for the Emergency Room.

Another chest Xray proved negative, and blood tests looked okay, but as the ER doc said, "If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck." Cases of pneumonia are rampant in Valdosta right now, and Jimmy has all the symptoms, so chances are that he's developed a pneumococcal infection. People like Jimmy, with compromised immune systems, are particularly susceptible.

Jimmy got intravenous Levaquin, and since Dr. Jones said that oral dosage is just as effective, we got a prescription and came home. The last thing either of us wanted was one more night in a hospital.

They did some blood cultures while we were there, but we won't get any results for a day or two. And that's all I know.

Late afternoon at Yustega

House call

This nasty virus that's going around has given Jimmy fits, and he's having a hard time shaking it off. When his fever spiked back up to 101 last night, we were thoroughly frustrated and demoralized, and today I called our friend and doctor Joe Stubbs again for commiseration and advice. Bless his sweet heart, he came by the house late this afternoon to see about our boy.

He believes, as do we, that all of this is virus-related, but with Jimmy's recent history, it gives one pause. Jimmy's having some blood work done tomorrow, and is seeing Eric Anderson next week, for reassurance. I told Joe this afternoon that Jimmy has CNBC-itis: watching all that doom and gloom is enough to make you sick.

Valentine

As I carried in the last few blossoms picked from Mr. Dewar's late-blooming camellia bushes, I started reminiscing about the varieties I'd known long ago. I actually remember some of their names: it was one of the things I'd learned from Johnny.

My second cousin Johnny Peeples loved gardening, and spent much of his spare time in the yard of the family home at 1203 North Patterson Street. When we children were visiting, we'd beg for rides on his shoulders while he worked.

"Where are we off to today, my lady," he'd ask,"Calcutta or Istanbul?"

We always wanted to inspect the camellias, and we'd debate our preferences: he liked the Professor Sargeants while I gravitated more toward the Jesse Burgesses. We both liked the Peppermints, but the Pink Perfections were much too dainty for my taste.

Johnny expected us to know the answers to Important Questions: what's 8 X 9? (72.) What's the capital of South Dakota? (Pierre.) What's the first line in Rebecca? ("Last night I dreamt I went to Mandelay again.") We memorized a verse or two of "Annabell Lee"; we learned the names of camellias: heady stuff for a five year old.

I'm thinking about all of this as I rummage around for a vase, fill it with water, and plonk in the flowers. The arrangement looks so beautiful and bright and happy when I set it on Mama's old maple end table - a perfect Valentine for my boys lounging on the sofa.

Some Famous February 12 Birthdays

Birthday boys include: Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Jimmy Dewar, Arlen Specter, Joe Garagiola,

Joe Don Baker, Lorne Greene, Josh Brolin, and Bill Russell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glNjsOHiBYs

Thirty Dog Night

Jimmy's chest Xray was clear, and after looking him over this morning, Dr. Joe Stubbs diagnosed the flu. We've discontinued the antibiotics, and if Jimmy'll behave himself, he should be over it in a few days.

With Jimmy's being so puny last night, Andy and I consoled ourselves by watching the Westminster Dog Show on television. Last year's winner, Uno the beagle, was a hard act to follow.

A Sussex spaniel named "Stump" won the 2009 Championship. At ten years old, he's the oldest winner in Westminster history.

A breed I'm unfamiliar with, called a Puli, looked like a big old-fashioned string mop whisking around the ring,

and the poodle with the silly hairdo bore no resemblance at all to Jacques, the black miniature poodle Mac and William and I had when we were growing up.

Andy was right where he belonged last night, watching the dog show with me, but had he been in New York, prancing around the ring in Madison Square Garden, he undoubtedly would have been chosen Best in Show.

Hard-headed

What are we to do with Jimmy? After being in Savannah and Jacksonville on business all last week, as sick as a dog the whole time, he foolishly went quail hunting on Saturday, over his nurse's strenuous objections. This afternoon he had a temperature of 103. We've started him on antibiotics and Tylenol, and he's going to have a chest Xray in the morning, just in case.

Jimmy, being Jimmy, still wants to charge into everything with his old exuberance, and hasn't learned yet that more can be accomplished with moderation. These are interesting times we're in, especially in the financial sector, full of opportunities as well as challenges, and Jimmy finds it all very exciting. But he can't get much done, laid up with the flu. He's one hard-headed man.

This is cute...but not as cute as Andy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vycOHd5ef6o

Lobbyist

Checkout is at 12:30 and Jimmy's meeting today won't be over for several more hours, so I'm hanging around the hotel lobby until he gets out. My plans to use this time to wander around Savannah have been highjacked by the 28 degree temperature and the 30 mile an hour winds.

We're staying at the Mansion on Forsyth Park, located in an outskirt of Savannah's Historical District that could euphemistically be called "transitional." It's a renovated Victorian mansion, decorated in an eclectic bordello-chic style: not to everyone's taste, but we've enjoyed our stay. Jimmy's caught ANOTHER bad cold, so we had room service a lot, and the food here is very good.

Have Bulbs, Will Travel

We're in Savannah this week: Jimmy has some meetings, and I tagged along as usual. We've reached the stage in life where we travel with 100 and 150 watt light bulbs to replace the dimmer ones hotels typically use. Jimmy says he used to laugh when his daddy told him about doing the same thing.