Thank You

My father-in-law, who always greets me with a huge smile and a laconic "Hi Baby," has had the trach with the Passy-Muir valve removed and another one with a cap inserted in its place. His heart tests have all come back negative and today, hip hip hoorah, he was moved to the rehabilitation floor. No more oxygen, no more tubes, no more IVs, just four hours a day of physical therapy and fingers crossed, he'll be home in under a fortnight.

I took David Sedaris' "Me Talk Pretty One Day" in both book and audio form to give him a bit of a giggle (how anyone can have missed out on that book, I don't know) and created an up-beat playlist (Dave Brubeck, Sam Cooke, Elvis, Marvin Gaye, Sly & the Family Stone, Bill Withers, Etta James, et al) on an iPod to get some fire in his belly. He's stoked to start working out and even more excited to get home to the beach. Sandy, it must be said, is his angel.

Thank you, thank you to everyone for you kind messages and prayers. People have been overwhelmingly generous in their support and outpouring of love. But then again, he's a pretty loveable guy. And guess what? It's working!