Our chickens started laying again a few weeks ago, giving us four or five eggs a day. These are mainly older birds with only three new chicks that are laying for the first time. I don’t know which one blew her assigned duties, but Sam found this egg in the chicken house the other day.

It has the texture of a balloon  filled with water.

Doctors delayed Annie’s transfer from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a day, but she was transferred to the regular hospital ward late this afternoon. I think, but am not sure, she will be released tomorrow. She looks great, is breathing well, and all monitors and doctors’ experience indicate the baby has weathered this interlude in his mother’s life like it was just another day at the beach.

Did I say his? We actually have no idea, but Olga has been hoping out loud for another brother and the baby has a rapid heart rate indicating a boy  … I think … but I’m not as up to speed as I should be on Old Wives Tales.

Erik flew in this aftrnoon just barely before the onset of the big Pacific storm we are now experiencing so Grandma and I gave over the grandkids to him. Annie and the grandkids were obviosuly happy to see him. Erik’c main problem now is explaining to 6-year-old Olga that Daddy is not home for good. “That’s what Daddy told me when he was home before,” she said. “The next time I’m home I’ll be home for good.” Lenie and I tried to explain to her that this visit is just an “emergency leave to help mommy,” but Olga was insistent: “No, Daddy said that the next time he was home it would be for good!”

Kids are very intriguing. Just as Olga can’t quite grasp that Daddy is home only temporarily to help Mommy through being sick, she catches on to the nuances. When Lenie was putting her to bed last night, she asked her, “Is the baby getting enough oxygen?” She must have overheard us talking and it began a process of worry in her little mind.  She’s very precocious … reminds me of her mom when she was that age.

But everything is fine now. Daddy has the next 13 days to explain what is going on.

My daughter, Annie, the managing editor of BHM, was admitted to the hospital today with pneumonia. She and her 4-year-old son Gavin had been sick for a week, then yesterday Lenie and I decided to take her whole family back to our house to nurse them back to health. I ended up taking Annie to the Sutter Coast Hospital ER in Crescent City, Calif., at 5:30 this morning. I’m with her in the ICU now, and her husband, Erik, is flying back from the Marine Corps base in North Carolina. She’s resting fairly comfortably with intravenous-fed fluids and antibiotics, plus an oxygen tube to help her breathe.

She’s one of several people sick in my circle. Son Jake just got over being sick for a week, son Sam just came down sick a couple of days ago, and John Silveira has been sick at least a week. Gavin appears to be recovering nicely. Annie has asthma and is five months pregnant, so the doctors are watching her closely. Her baby appears to be doing fine.

Lenie is the volunteer pianist for our high school and middle school choirs. She’s learning Great Balls of Fire to accompany the middle school choir for their next concert. Here’s Jerry Lee Lewis’s original version of this great song.

When Lenie performs with the choir, I’ll try and remember to post their version of the song. She’s looking forward to this.