The next couple of weeks at work will be busy as I complete tasks before our vacation. That'll be good. Well-defined tasks bring focus to the day. There's an axiom in business - if you want to get something done, give it to a busy person. It will also feel good to have earned a vacation. As I've mentioned before, this will be the first vacation in many years when I haven't been exhausted.

On Saturday it rained. It rained a lot. Sandra and I spent a very quiet day at the camp, sleeping late, reading, playing cards, talking. A bit of guilt was sneaking in at the edges - how can we take a day off like this when there's so much to do? Well, doing nothing was the right thing to do that day.

Yesterday my father has indicated that he'd consider have more help around the house. I'll call his doctor today to find out what kinds of services are available with his insurance. But this was a big deal, being willing to accept help from strangers. We're not sure how much help he'll need and he may back off from the idea by the time that we've lined up the resources. Nevertheless, it marks a change. Last week, when I asked if it would be ok for us to make a copy of his house key, he said, "Sure. We're a team."

We talked with my father's next-door neighbors to let them know that we'll be visiting more often. A nice couple with a young daughter. They're living in the house where my grandparents used to live. My grandparents moved there when I was about 10. I would get off the school bus and my grandmother would have coffee and pastries waiting for me as my after-school snack.