thanksgiving and weariness

My Mom and Dad and my two sisters and their two families visited for Thanksgiving. The only member not there was my brother and his family. We had a delightful visit - mostly we hung-out at my house and made and consumed food. It is fun to be in the kitchen with my family, we can just make things up as we go along and it usually turns out more than slightly edible and if it doesn't turn out edible we eat it and make it a good joke rather than waste the food (I made the inedible). :)

We also made two trips to different used bookstores - one is an interesting place that specializes in SciFi that my husband and Dad like to go too. It is a fire hazard and dirty but if you like SciFi it is the place to go. The second is a store I had never been to before. I liked it.

My sister A has a somewhat unusual name and she pulled an old book off the shelf which had the title "All about A." It was a slim, very old volume with beautiful Victorian style illustrations of a chubby little girl - it was undated. I bought a late 1800's Nursery Rhyme book and my Mom picked up something too.

It has been a tough week. On Sunday, I got an email from an old professor saying that his wife had passed away a month ago. They are dear friends of my family and while it wasn't entirely unexpected it, it saddened me. (Oh and I turned 37).

On Wednesday, my Mom called. She was very depressed because the college where she works cut her hours in half, which is something my parents really can't afford. Fortunately, the college is going to allow her to keep her full-time benefits.

Yesterday, I got an email and a dear friend (remember the gentleman who went to grandparent's day with Light? - his wife) went to the doctor to find out why she hasn't been feeling good and was there for ten hours. In her words

It seems my hemoglobin was low 5.8 and it should be 11-13. The doctor sent me to Mercy to receive two units of blood. The nurses there thought I looked too healthy to need blood so they called the doctor to ask if it could be rechecked. They rechecked and it was 4.8.

She got her blood but they don't know why it needs replacing.

This morning, I talked to my Mom and discovered that the extremely nasty cold that she contracted from my father and which set in while she was here - had built up in her ears so bad it burst her ear drum.

My Mom really can't afford to lose more of her hearing.

I am tired and a little blue. But!! I got a postcard today from the "Mother's Who Pray" (a group at the girls' school) saying they were praying for our family.