Marian moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility at the end of the week. She's making remarkable progress. She starts her physical therapy today and there's a good chance that she'll be coming home by the end of the week.

As noted earlier, the state of medical care these days requires a patient advocate. Often the information that we receive from the medical staff is confusing, contradictory, and even wrong. On the day after surgery, one physician's assistant told MRM that she might be going home today. Another doctor said the same thing when she arrived at the rehabilitation hospital. The nurses and physical therapists had the good sense to know that that was crazy talk. Sandra's mother is eager to come home, but knows that she needs to be ready.

This week will be a challenge for Sandra, returning to work and keeping track of things from afar. It's difficult to have personal conversations on the phone while working in a cubicle. Most of the time, I use my cell phone and try to find an unused conference room when talking with my doctors or my father's doctors.

Sandra's aunt had a heart attack over the weekend. The prognosis, filtered through phone calls from and to Florida, is not clear. It's an odd season, this.

The Red Sox face the Anaheim Angels tomorrow afternoon in the divisional playoffs. It's good to have the Red Sox playing baseball in October.