al-Zill spends most of tomorrow back at the vet for more tests.  He received his vaccinations as scheduled, but he also received dire confirmation of neurological damage that must be addressed.

Tumor?  Infection?  Skull damage that penetrated the brain?  Something else?  That’s what we hope to discover with his day-long stay at the doctor’s pad.

I drop him off first thing in the morning on my way to work and pick him up in the evening on my way home.  Poor chap.  I can only hope the result of this analysis does not require my full and immediate attention.

Because after that I head to East Texas for my father’s surgery Thursday morning.

I just spoke to Mom & Dad to confirm our plans.  Things are not as simple as they might seem.

His condition is, at best, poor.  He was unable to stay on the phone long because of that.  With the mix of medicinal changes and general fragility, he simply could not carry on a conversation for more than a few minutes.

As for my mother, she presents great strength that wells up from tremendous spiritual prowess, but even she has been weakened by this ordeal and the crushing weight of survival.  I am not fooled.

She so aptly pointed out how life has piled up this weekend for all of us.  Things are never simple when they matter.

I can’t say how long I’ll be unavailable or if I’ll be able to post updates—or anything else.

Due to The Kids needing more of my time than anticipated, I undoubtedly will spend the weekend jaunting back and forth from Dallas to East Texas.  I don’t see that as a problem.  Whatever it takes…