Eve Before Christmas Eve

So much to write about. I'm not even sure where to start!

I guess we'll get the scary/depressing news out of the way first. My legs are not doing any better at all. I just shuffle from point to point, since I can't seem to walk at a normal rate. They are weak and sometimes I wonder if they'll support me.

I had the nerve conduction survey done yesterday. That consisted of me laying on a table while the therapist shot electric current straight into the nerves in my feet and legs. If you think that's a good time, well, there's something wrong with you. Thankfully he was personable and that helped the time go by. (For example, after I was flinching and groaning, he said, "I want you to know, I'm not in pain at all." To which I responded, "Well, as long as you are comfortable." And after the testing was done, he said, "Now, I used purple washable marker to mark on you. They aren't bruises or anything." I shot back, "They will be when I get to the police station!") The test results showed that there are some nerves that are not firing or responding at the speed at which they should be, but he wasn't able to hazard a guess why. He was forwarding the information back to the doctor that recommended me over there so they could work on putting the pieces of the puzzle together. And he tested my right hand as well, and he said that it was most likely carpal tunnel and it didn't appear connected to the legs issue.

I was at my grandmother's for Christmas today and I barely made it up her stairs to get into the house. I had trouble getting into my parents' SUV as well. And I even had some trouble getting Benjamin into his high chair for dinner tonight, which shook me quite a bit. I don't lose it very often, but that did it for me. I've tried not to worry Meron with all of this and put on a brave face, but that slipped a bit tonight.

So we are a bit worried about what this is, how permanent it is going to be, is it going to get worse, etc. Likely it won't, it's probably just a pinched nerve or something in my back, but since it'll be next week before I can see the doctor, it'll probably cloud our Christmas just a bit.

Anyway, on to different things. Benjamin went to the doctor Tuesday since he was just being extremely fussy, which isn't like him. Turns out he had an ear infection in both ears and they were pretty red. He was prescribed an antibiotic and some ear drops, plus we gave him Motrin to work on his fever, and the good news is he seems to be over it now, at least for the most part. He's not running a fever any more and we've stopped with the drops since he doesn't seem to be in pain.

Our Christmas Eve open house for our church is (obviously) tomorrow night. It won't be much of an "open house", since with my condition we've not been able to get the whole house in order, but most everyone has seen the place before, so I'm not too worried about that. Plus, this is my church family. They will understand completely.

OK, let's get some positive news in here! Who wants a downer blog entry this time of year?

We had a very good encounter with Russellville's finest a couple of days ago. We had come in from running errands about 9:00 PM. I went outside about 10-something with no notice of anything. Meron goes out about 11:30 and notices that our Christmas trees outside (small plastic set with lights that flash) have been tipped over and tangled up. Since this was the second time someone had messed with our lights since we put them up, we went ahead and called the police.

When they showed up at the house, they actually saw the kids running away from here. They turned the spotlight on them but it didn't stop them, so they chased them down and caught them over by some apartments down the street. From the time we called to the time the policeman came to the door to see if there were any damages, just an hour had gone by. The kids are up for criminal mischief, though we personally didn't press charges yet. (They wound up doing about 12-15 houses that night.) We found later that they had taken down the lights over our garage and cut some of the wires, so we may add our claim to any that are out there. Then again, it was just a $4 set of lights, so I don't know that we'll mess with it.

With interruptions, this has taken me a while, so I'm just going to briefly hit the new Cardinal acquisitions. Sidney Ponson concerned me at first, but with the low salary and the reports that he's cleaned up his act and looking fit and focused since leaving rehab, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It's just a bit out of character for the Cards to pick up a guy with that kind of baggage. But St. Louis has been a great place for players to revitalize their career, so maybe that will happen with Ponson.

Juan Encarnacion and Junior Spivey signed today. I'd have liked the Encarnacion move better if it wasn't a three-year deal. One year, with an option, OK. But $15 million is a lot to tie up in a player that may or may not be worth it. Maybe hitting in the Cardinal lineup will help some. Spivey had a good year a few years ago, but the Cardinals just got him because he was not tendered a contract by the Nationals, which means that he was on baseball's equivalent of the scrap heap. But with only Aaron Miles and Delvi Cruz in camp to play second, he'll probably win that competition and be the starter come April.

Folks, have a great Christmas Eve, a lovely Christmas, and remember the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.