Sunday, Oct. 31, 2004
11:10 p.m.

Ah ... home again and the house is quiet, with all the little monsters sound asleep.

We spent the day at home. Mom and Dad weren't able to come for brunch, as Mom needed to stay in bed all day. So I invited my upstairs neighbour down for coffee. She came with her two three-year-olds and we had a very nice visit for several hours. She gave me my first Spanish lesson just before leaving.

"Te invito a tomar un cafe."
Loosely translated: Come for coffee.

Then I phoned Mom and Dad's. Should I come? Because I had told Mom we probably would, but if she was nauseated and trying to sleep, perhaps we shouldn't disturb her. That's probably right, he said. Well phone if you need me, said I.

Then I made a batch of granola while singing my lineup of songs (oh the variety! they become fun once one has sung them enough to not have to think too much, and I almost got through The Prayer without being a wuss, but not quite), cooked up some fancy rice with mushrooms and almonds, and put together a Tunisian eggplant casserole. I was about to serve supper when my sister Karen called from Mom and Dad's.

"Mom wants to know if you're coming. She is hoping you'll give her a treatment."

So I turned off the stove, loaded the boys into the van, and went to the other end of the city, stopping at McDonald's drive-thru on the way.

Mom had been waiting for me all day.

"I guess you two will have to talk directly to each other from now on," Dad said. They were both cranky; she from physical discomfort, he from fatigue and, probably, worry.

Karen took Everett to her neighbourhood and spent an hour or more walking around to the houses with him so he could fill his pillowcase with Halloween treats. My kids have aunts who are really really good to them. His other option would have been to go with me and Joan, whose two-year-old (seen above) would have tuckered out before they'd gone a block, or to wait for me and have to put up with me whining about being cold and wanting to go inside within the first half hour.

Before we left our place, I'd dumped peanut-butter cups and smarties boxes into a plastic container and added that to the neighbours' handouts, since they were staying home.

Emil, at 16, insists he is too old to go trick or treating. But he got a haul anyway. Dad had a bag of goodies for each of them, and Karen gave them stuff, and then when we got home Everett spread his bounty over the kitchen table and filled a bread bag with miniature chocolate bars and such for Emil. I made sure to remark upon Emil's good fortune in having such a generous brother, and they were both well satisfied.

It was a short visit we had with Mom, as after I'd massaged her legs and feet, then stimulated the healing points for her kidney, liver (oh lordy, these particular spots on her feet are ridiculously tender), and intestines, she wanted to rest. She took two morphine tablets and had to wait for them to begin to work. Emil came into the bedroom and sat in a chair at the foot of her bed, chatted with her for a few minutes, and then we left to pick up Everett.

That was my day. Of course, I did talk to my farmbeau several times on the phone. It sounds like he may be here within the next two weeks. I will not hold my breath just yet, but will keep my fingers crossed.

I won 10 bucks on my Super-7 lottery ticket; yep, it's been a pretty good day.

And now ... bedtime.