Serious rain with thunder and lightning woke me up this morning. It's been a while since we've had that.

Yesterday was a good day, in spite of some not-so-good things.

Ray and I walked briefly, after whole wheat pancakes. The Captain's cold did not seem to be bothering him too much. We went off to church, Ray to be a greeter and I to work with the children (instead of singing). There was a group baby and child dedication, which was fun to watch, before we marched out. After the service was the Mystery Friend reception, so Ray had to stick around. I spent a little time with iPhone, but kept talking to people insteadWhen we got home, the Captain was in something of a state. A small aside here about living with my parents. They are very healthy and the situation is beneficial to both of us in many ways, small and large, but it is very difficult, like living with roommates. I tend to be naive and optimistic, but I knew this would be hard. I keep thinking it will get easier, and it has in some ways. At the end, we all know how this story will turn out. They will not be getting better, only worse, and that has an effect on our relationships. However, my father has something of a dramatic nature. He is not really the person to stay calm in a crisis.

Cameron had thrown up several times, including in his crate. My mother had apparently cleaned up one of the messes, which had made her shoulder and back hurt. She is taking one less medication because they found that her kidney function is decreased and think that medication is at least partly to blame. She was told she could take more hydrocodone (a strong pain reliever she takes once a day, about 3 in the morning). She doesn't like how groggy it makes her feel. Or she could take Tylenol, not aspirin or any other pain reliever. She went to the pharmacy Thursday or Friday, but they did not have Tylenol and sold her something else. Whether she did not explain well what she wanted, or did not hear them correctly, she came home with the wrong thing. I had some Extra-Strength Tylenol, just a few left in the bottle. While we were at church, she took two. Then she started to feel nauseous and was not very clear in her thinking. This put the Captain into a tizz, all of which he had to tell me when I got home, of course. Ray and I cleaned up the mess, we all ate lunch, my Mom started to feel better, and the Captain cheered up quite a bit. We all decided that maybe two extra-strength Tylenol on an empty stomach was not a good thing. It made me feel useful, which is sort of nice, but I began to think I should make them come to church with me and not leave them home alone. Of course, they are home alone most of  every weekday. Sigh.

The Captain had set out baby lettuces, cabbage and broccoli. Ray split wood and I put old manure around the strawberries, as well as gathering up pine needles for mulch. Meanwhile, I tried to keep a close eye on Cameron. This meant chasing after him two or three times, somewhat affecting my ability to get anything done. I think perhaps he has been eating things from the compost pile. The Captain thinks he has been eating plastic, so he tried to pick up any bits he had left around the yard. It was a lovely sunny and warm day. My Mom even sat on the deck for awhile. After a delicious diinner, we all watched more Olympics, and I cast off the top of the vest--not that it's done, I have to sew it together and make the edging bands. I managed to stay awake until about 10 and went to bed feeling pretty good.