home. tired.

Last week was busy, busy, busy. We were up and out of the house by 8:30 every day.

- Tuesday I drove. Stopped in the Kalamazoo area to visit my grandma. She looks great, and at 96, she's sharp as a tack. Got to Mom's late--almost 10 p.m.
- Wednesday we went to have a foot detox. You put your feet in ionized salt water and it draws out toxins. It sounds bizarre, I know, but it did something because the water was gross when we were done. After that, we hit some of the new antique shops in my home town and I found some cool stuff for Vicky for Christmas.
- Thursday was the Family Cemetery Tour. We drove back over to the western side and put flowers on the graves of my grandparents, great grandparents, and several other great great relations. My aunt and uncle met us out there and we had lunch together, which was cool because I haven't seen them since Alex's graduation party. Also on Thursday, my step-dad took his twin brother to the Detroit VA for a lymph node biopsy, and when they did the preliminary blood work, they discovered that his white cell count and uric acid were sky high, which is the perfect storm for kidney failure. They cancelled the procedure and had my step-dad drive him to the VA in Ann Arbor, which has an inpatient oncology ward. Long story short, he'll be there a few more days and they're re-doing all the tests to make sure he does indeed have lymphoma and not something else. They've mapped out a new treatment plan that will include staying in the hospital a week at a time for chemo.
- Friday we went to Meadowbrook Hall and toured the house and gardens. I'd been decades ago, and it was much darker and smaller than I remembered. Compared to the "summer cottages" in Newport, it wasn't too impressive. After that we visited my mom's cousins who live nearby for a couple hours. They were great role models for me growing up and I like hanging out with them. They're one reason I wish I lived closer.
- Saturday we had a hand detox, which was the same as (but grosser than) the foot detox. Then we had lunch with an old friend from high school. My dad came to see me in the afternoon.
- Sunday was church with a potluck, after which mom volunteered us for clean-up. She's the Church Marine--first in, last out.
- Monday I hit the road again, same trip as the week before in reverse. Stopped to see Grandma. She cooked lunch for me. It was cool to walk into her apartment and have it smell like her house used to. Then came the long drive home. At least it didn't rain yesterday.

So that's what I've been up to. Needless to say, I haven't gotten much done today. At least I don't have story telling this week. I have one more week to prep for that. Alex is home, so I guess I'm going grocery shopping this afternoon. We "have nothing to eat," meaning no Ramen, normal pasta, or lunch meat. Poor kid.