Sylvia's Journal

Waking up is one of the more painful parts of the day. As my body awakens, so does every sore muscle and the pleasant weightlessness of sleep is rudely interrupted. As I wrote earlier, it is a still a slow rise to the surface of consciousness, with every inch closer providing an ounce more of pain. It is not always like this but today is clearly one of those days. Long live oxycontin! We are experimenting with hot and cold packs and massage, and sometimes simply diversion!

Abigail Axelrod came again yesterday to give the girls a massage. This is purely selfish on my part and the girls have not complained. In fact they are getting hooked on it. This is one way we are using some of your generous donations.

Again I did not make it to Salem but Axel and I talk on the phone several times a day. He is working really hard as he knows he has to get the most out of each of the remaining 9 days. As a result he is often very exhausted. So please call him before you visit to make sure he is up to it or not climbing stairs someplace.

Our neighbor Kurt came over with a bag full of blueberries and we had a great visit talking about all the weird things that happen in our neighborhood, worth an episode on City Confidential.

In the pouring rain, Susie Talbot and Peggy Caulkins and daughter Caroline worked in our garden. They are professionals and I am sure it looks great now. These are moments that I am less resigned to my situation and I wished I could join them and get my hands dirty. Thanks for your generosity, it means a lot to me.

Later, still in the pouring rain Sita and I went to see our regular nurse practitioner and doctor and it felt like a significant milestone on the way back to normal. I got some exercises to slowly expand my range of motion for several body parts. May be this explains the pains this morning!

Fatou (Fatu) came by around dinnertime with more African food and while she was there her mom called from Senegal and wished us all speedy recovery in between several al-hamdu-lillahs. She is one of many people who are praying for us in Senegal and our spirits are lifted by this support from afar.

We had a most wonderful evening ‘en famille’ with Andrew sitting in for Axel. Sita and Andrew did the Monday crossword puzzle while Tessa and I were making paper flowers from the kit that Jennifer Rodine sent us and the two boys were cheating on google for the crossword puzzle and generally making comments from the peanut gallery on this sweet domestic scene. It was wonderful and I am very anxious for Axel to be with us. There are at least 10 more flowers to make; we’ll save some for him.

I am happy to report that I read all of Jenny Jackson’s books except for Harry Potter (Axel is about halfway) and I can concentrate longer and longer. I enjoyed them all. Thanks so very much. I also completed the puzzle Anne Dodge and I started some 8 days ago. These are the small accomplishments that count these days.

I listened in on the scheming between Sita and Fatou and noticed in Sita’s posting that the wheels have been set in motion. I am looking forward to the event.