More of the same

March 1. Light fixtures.

March 2. Kyle and Jeff in the ER of hospital #1, at the beginning of Jeff's adventure.

March 3. Beep! Your patient is ready. 

March 4.  The hazardous waste bag holding Jeff's shaved hair. Yes, we kept it.

March 5.  James and adorable cousin Zooey, who came with her mom and sister from St. George to help us.

March 6. The children and I came home from the hospital to the bathroom vacant (obviously!) but locked. James helped me pull out the hinge pins so we could remove the door and tackle the lock that way. Amazingly, he and I worked faster together than Jeff and I have on other bathroom impasses!

March 7. Jeff received an elaborate cookie basket from his work. "Wishing you a speedy recovery!" Did I read too much into having a turtle as such a mascot?

March 8. Hat shopping at REI.

Also March 8. Around the corner from REI is a climbing outfitter where Jeff went to buy rope in preparation for a class he was scheduled to teach March 15. It was all I could do to not yell at the clerk, "Don't sell him anything! He just got home from the hospital yesterday after having BRAIN SURGERY! Because he fell! Did you hear me? BRAIN SURGERY!" The Fight Gravity hoodie is a nice touch. The class, held in a church gym, was about knots and harnesses, not actual climbing. Phew!

March 10. Home office.

March 12.

March 15. Samuel is passionate about soccer.

March 16. Samuel and bubbles.

March 17. My mother makes delicious corned beef and cabbage and homemade Irish soda bread on St. Patrick's Day, even though we're not Irish. I've made the meal myself a time or two over the years, but was decidedly not festive this go-round. No matter. James fashioned a forkful of tri-color pasta into the Irish flag. Bonus: his Oompa-loompa coloring evokes images of tiny, dancing men. No?

March 18. Ah, that's better. Last morning of braces! (Until phase two, anyway.)

March 19. First bloom in the yard.

March 20. This is not a political statement, I swear, just a composition exercise to capture the entire scene of what I saw one morning when I sought peace. Can you tell where I am? (The sticker says GUNS SAVE LIVES.)

March 21. Samuel wrote only an S for his name on this worksheet. When the teacher handed it back with the quizzical "S am?" Samuel wrote oui in response. Cracked us up.

March 22. Jeff's normal Saturday routine is to get up and drive out of dodge as fast as he can.  He likes errands! Having doctor's orders not to drive ...  well, drove him insane. When I awoke Saturday morning Jeff was whipping the pantry into shape. Samuel excitedly told James, "Mom says this is what 'cabin fever' looks like."