Today I probably looked like an agitated flea, jumping from one high priority item to pour water on the next flaming idiot to addressing the insecurities of yet another customer and finally addressing the concerns voiced by the top gun. I guess his stuff is my top priority when I return to work on Monday.

You should see my desk. It looks as if Mad Max stirred the papers with a set of iron tongs and then Mighty Mouse jumped up and down on the pile just to settle them down. Egad and ye gods and little fishes.

At four o'clock I had to leave, not of it done, all of it in various stages of initial review, because Norm had just had a tooth pulled and needed a ride home. Of course we had to stop at the pharmacy to pick up an antibiotic (which I don't think he needs since the socket isn't infected) per the doctor's instructions.

Then home to take out the trash in the dark and haul electronic junk to the curb for the weekly city recycling truck which collects such stuff and does heaven only knows what with it. Norm insisted on trying to go down steps with an old UPS in his hands and fell. Again.

I push him to do things to keep his muscle strength up (like getting out of chairs by himself) and I try to prevent him from doing things where he will fail and fall, like carrying things up and down stairs. It seems to be too hard a concept to grasp, but I reiterate the lesson on the differences every chance I get. I'm grateful that his bones aren't brittle and that he bounces and bruises but doesn't break. At least, not yet.

I can't get old. I have to be able to do all the things he can't. And more and more of them as he weakens. I don't dare give up; I don't even allow myself the thought of it.

It helps to have a fairly regular routine: work 5 days plus dinner and meds, weekends groceries, housework, laundry, meds, that sort of thing. In the interstices of that schedule I make time for church activities and occasional social events. Read for a few minutes before going to bed.

He's taking the bowel cleanser now (bowel examination tomorrow), so we'll be up all night dealing with that. It's like having a baby in the house. Time to get out all the towels and cleaning wipes.

My mother used to say, "Good night; sleep tight; and don't let the bedbugs bite." Never saw a bedbug until I went to India. Never hope to see one again.