My house is in the biggest mess. My handyman Jimmy got a bad headache from the Kilz he used in the stairwell and had to quit after painting for less than an hour. So now I have ladders, scaffolding, and drop cloths taking up most of that space, and making the stairs very difficult to traverse. Plus, I got a headache from the fumes, too, even though we opened doors and windows and turned on every fan in the house and a couple of borrowed fans. What other irritant will be rubbing against my raw nerves next?

I had a 2:00 appointment, then went shopping, mainly to avoid coming back to the house. The delightful surprise I got while shopping was to see that Size 12 jeans were too big for me in the waist. I could hardly believe it, but I tried on 3 pairs. The 10's were too small, the 12's too big, so for now I'll stick with what I've got. They're all 12's, but with elasticized waists, so they fit everywhere, a little baggy, but old and comfortable, like me.

Tonight I went to the meeting of RCFDW at the Pearl Library. I really enjoy this group of women. Sue Livingston gave me another picture, which I will scan and publish soon. She's the one who took the picture I used with the Nov. 16, 2008 post. When I told her that the blog got hits that day from all over, including Washington DC, she was thrilled.

Nothing has been resolved about getting Mike into Methodist Rehab. He's saying now that he needs to come home because he doesn't believe they can help him. I think they can, and I'm not ready for him to come home, so he may as well accept it.

He continues to call me before 8:00, which is the boundary I set from Day 1, and he doesn't understand what the big deal is about waking me up before the time I set, but then he's never known what it's like to consider anyone else's feelings about anything. The brain injuries have just exacerbated his worst traits, but now I can't blame the alcohol. It's very frustrating. Keep us in your prayers.