So, it's really been more than a month since I posted? Goodness. Much has been going on. Very little of it good. Within the span of a week, J developed kidney stones, my nephew had an illness that "could be a problem with your liver or pancreas" (but turned out to be neither, thankfully), J's cousin had a stroke, and my father was hospitalized with pneumonia which turned out to be a symptom of a much larger problem. And this doesn't count various other minor ailments. And the fact that J's doctor suspected he had heart problems and sent him to a cardiologist. And now, I just got a phone call that my uncle has died. So, yeah. Things are not good. I'm afraid someone in our family has pissed off a gypsy.
On the other hand. Boo turned 11. J and I both still have jobs. J's heart is most likely fine (90-95% chance, according to the cardiologist). J's kidney stones were surgically removed (since they refused to budge) and we were able to take a planned trip to the inlaws. There's always a reason to be hopeful, right?
And surely the fact that our house phone stopped working last night isn't too much of a bad omen.