Sandra's mother returned home early yesterday afternoon and is doing quite well. She's been able to navigate the house and back deck well. Sandra's sister and brother will come up from the Cape this weekend. There are still a few items to clarify with the doctors, but those things can wait until Tuesday. (It's Columbus Day weekend here, Thankgiving in Canada.)

These long weekends are good because they give us a chance to rest and restore ourselves. They can also be frustrating because there are things that we want and need to do that have to wait until we get back to the work week. And while we're waiting, the anxiety can build. There's a saying along the lines of accept the things I cannot change ....

As the Brits would call it, the weather today is dull, low clouds with a chance of showers or drizzle. We'll take a ride to see Adam, Jennie, and Lily today. We weren't able to attend her birthday party last week and missed having a chance to talk with them. Sandra and I will also enjoy the ride. The fall foliage is coming along nicely.

The second of the presidential debates took place last night. The rancor from both sides is wearying. I know who has my vote, but I wish both candidates would behave more like presidents and less like trash-talking basketball players.

Ah the sweetness of a Red Sox victory. They'll get a few days of needed rest before continuing their quest.

Marian will be coming home tomorrow afternoon. We'll all be learning things as she adjusts to these once familiar and now new surroundings. Their apartment wasn't really designed for someone with limited mobility, so we'll have to improvise, but carefully.

As I've mentioned before, when we are in need of health care, our lives are much more open to many more people. We've had conversations with MRM's doctors, nurses, physical therapists, case workers, and others. I guess that it's true anytime that you need help, but it seems more so in times of medical need. Pregnant women experience this a lot. We are familiar with more intimate details than we have any right to know because child-bearing is such a public event. When we are caring for our parents, we wind up talking about things that may be new areas of discussion. This has been true for me as well. Recently I talked candidly with daughter-in-law Jennie, a physcian's assistant, about my current roster of medications, their benefits, and their side effects. It's good that we can trust those close to us because it lets them help us and love us better.

A killing frost came during the overnight. Marley went into the back yard after breakfast and was eager to get back in to lie in front of the wood stove. The yard was pretty with the white coating on all exposed surfaces.

MRM continues to make good progress. Yesterday, during physical therapy, she was able to climb a few stairs. We're expecting that she can come home by week's end. She'll need assistance around the house, particularly during the first few days. She's been a great patient, eager to participate in her recovery process.

Work has turned into an interesting mix of projects, some short-term assignments and working toward goals that are over the horizon. Each day I learn or relearn something.

The Red Sox won their first playoff game and the Yankees lost. There's still a long way to go, but dare we dream?

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.