Hi, Saddle Pals, Got here safe and sound last night at ten-ish. (Ten-ish anyone?) Very, very tired of looking at the backsides of tractor/trailer rigs (lorries to you UK-Cateers). Mom is napping now and seems to be doing ... ok. She's just so great -- strong, mentally acute, pissy -- that it's a shock to see her even a bit diminished. But ... that's the way it plays out for us human beans. Her blood pressure is sky high and they don't seem to be able to get it down. She takes medication and it lowers a bit, but it's still wa-a-ay up there, which is deeply troublesome. The meds seem to make her pretty droopy, which is better than red-lining on the B.P., but it just generally sucks all the way 'round. It's so awful not to be able to get comfortable, not to be able to feel really well no matter what you do ... And for me, it's frustrating because there's nothing I can do to really help her, except to be here, which I don't underestimate. She is down to about 100 lbs, which is very slight for her, and my sister Donna said she was very much looking forward to having me here because she knows I'm such a good cook. So at least I do have one mission: Fatten Up My Little Mommy. THAT, I can handle.

thanks for your friendship and for the lifeline. Something tells me I'll be spending a lot more time on the 'Cat now, since I'm, um, activity-challenged here in OKC, and can't really go anywhere because we don't want her to be alone at all right now.

Love and rockets, ww