Sunday, September 21

Sundays at Ren rehab are pleasant. All the patients who were bushed by the end of the week have taken Saturday to catch up, so by Sunday everybody is pretty mellow. Today was even better because it was a perfect sunny autumn day. Lots of family and friends visited the wing, and by now we all know each other. Amid the hubbub of kids working puzzles and one patient's four-generation family contingent, Rosemary took the cake. She sat in her wheelchair with her five-pound Pomeranian, Foxy, in her lap. Meanwhile, Rosemary's daughter, who was pushing her wheelchair, was walking a miniature dachschund named Noodle, whose leash was attached with a carabiner to the loop of her jeans. It was a sight to behold. Rosemary is one of Tommy's new buddies around the place; two of his old buddies, with whom he always ate breakfast, were discharged last week. For dinner, Tommy got a special meal prepared by Gaie, who is visiting from Michigan--quiche with a spaghetti-squash crust. He savored every bite.