Yay for bail money!

I have to say, you're a better woman than me. My daughter hated anything I picked out. So, ( gave up and handed her the money and hoped for the best!

Debbie, I laughed at the "safety check" but good for them, it may have saved a life.

Yes, business studies will be good for your niece, nothing wrong with getting used to the business suit if that will get you a good paying career. You did the job well and got a break from Bruce at the same time.

That's my fear with the alert systems. Hopefully anything that happens, either Ray or I will be able to dial 911, either for ourselves or for each other; we've both done it before. Other than that, it's in God's hands as far as I'm concerned. His social workers keep bugging us to get one, but I wonder if they get a kick back or something, the way they keep pushing it. Not sure it's right for us: We're always together, so if anything happens we'll hopefully have backup. If things ever change, I can reconsider. I would love to leave Ray alone, but he's not a fan of that idea. Maybe someday?

We have two cops that live on our block, so every time we have EMT or police come, by the next morning the whole neighborhood has the story straight from the horse's mouth. Not sure if it's them or their wives, but whatever. Not to mention our across the street neighbor, who works in our hospital's billing department, she loves to share what she finds on the job. Yeah I know it's illegal, but what can you do without getting her fired? She's a very nice person otherwise, but has "loose lips". Once (before stroke) Ray had chest pains, so we got it checked out in ER but turned out it was just anxiety. Guess her billing dept doesn't get all the details, because for the next few days my neighbors were running up to me asking if Ray was OK, thinking he had a heart attack. There's only one place they could have heard that.

So when Ray had to go in hospital for psychiatric reasons not long after, I took him to a hospital a half hour away, so no one would know. It was a smart move. Another woman on the block (cop's wife, by strange coincidence) had the same problem but she went to our hospital first as an emergency, before being sent where Ray went, and it was the talk of the block for a few months. And the cop was mad everyone was gossiping about it, which caused a big feud. One day, a group of us women were standing on the street talking about something else, and he flew up in his car and started cursing the woman he thought started the talk. He's a NYC cop so he knows how to make a point. It's hard to have any privacy around here, it's like one big family! For better or for worse.

We were always private people and I'm still trying to hang onto a shred of it. The last time Ray called EMT himself (I think he took a double dose of pills that night and was just slap happy) they showed up at 2AM, cops and EMTs crowed in our bedroom like a party was going on, and there I was, in my nightshirt that says "HOT AND FLASHY" in big neon letters, chatting away with them all. One of the strangest nights in my life, and that's saying a lot.

Ha, ask Nancy about being taken aback by Times Square. I'm so used to NYC, love the energy and the craziness. But Nancy had another take on it, and I realized it's not viewed as the greatest place in the world by everyone. Still, everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime, just to say they did.

Good luck with "Home Alone", hope it's not like the movie!

Prayers for Bruce first.....Now, I think he will be alright this first week home alone he and Kira should bond like me and the little dog at this house. There may be some other things Bruce will start to do safely of course because he does so many things himself now!

I'm trying to walk more and farther without the cane because one day I really want to put it down. My weak leg doesn't want to cooperate but I got to get falling out my mind and I think I can do it. Once I get upstairs in the chair lift I don't need a cane.

I feel Bruce will start doing things too!

So much activity! Ha, ha, Bruce's inner alarm woke him up to get in his shower before it all went crazy! I really don't understand how people do this. I'm so darn crochety in the morning, and Bob, also, is more fumbly and likely to fall. It would be so much easier to get that over with BEFORE dressing, instead of trying to figure out when to undress and do it - too close to bedtime - bedhead hair... hmmmm...

Sounds like you had a fun full week-end, so happy for you. If I let Bob wear a button, he'd probably push it when he wanted a poptart! I am still working on one for me, incase I go down though. He struggles with the remote controls that we've had for 10 years!

I agree with everything colleen said-- i actually enjoyed the city and would do it again ... but yes the sheer amount of people is overwhelming.....for us the north dakotans...lol