While the unfortunate people in the Midwest are experiencing a typical mid-winter storm with lots of snow and sub-freezing temperatures made worse with biting winds I just wanted to let you know that I'm hearing the birds singing when I go out for my paper in the morning now. That started along with the nice weather we had last weekend: no rain, a little blue sky and temperatures that got all the way up to 50. The forecast calls for a little rain today and then cloudy but for the most part dry through the long Presidents Day weekend. I'm not so sure the groundhog was right when saw his shadow earlier this month. It's amazing what a couple of dry days can do for your disposition.

We visited R over the weekend to help with some technical problems he was having with his gadgets and change the dressing on his nephrostomy. He has a blockage keeping one of his kidneys from draining to his bladder. It relieves the pressure on the one kidney until his surgery early next month to remove the large stone blocking his ureter. He's waiting for the "Pro from Dover" to do the cutting. In the mean time he has a tube about the size of a straw sticking out of his back connecting to a little larger tube going down his leg. It's secured with some nifty surgeons knots on the tube and stitches to the skin around the hole in his back. R has adjusted to it pretty well. He's not in pain because of it, but he has to be careful and he's not suppose to lift anything of consequence. His other kidney is operating normally. He went in for some pre-op work last week. When asked for a urine sample he asked which kidney they wanted it from? That stopped them for a minute. They had to ask to find out - the "normal" one.

Now, if I could just figure out my taxes.