In Kentucky

I am in Kentucky visiting my daughter, son and grand children.

Recently my daughter was forced to call 911 twice and spent one night in the hospital due to severe asthma episodes. She has worked at the hospital for the last 20 years and made the mistake of attempting to wait until Monday morning when she would have gone to work to check with a doctor. The delay necessitated the emergency call. It was her worst attack ever.

When she was young we installed carpet in all of the house except her bedroom. Her room had hardwood flooring which is easier to keep free of substances that aggravate asthma.

By phone we discussed options and decided to replace the carpet in her house. Over the last three days we (my son, grandsons, my daughter and a friend) replaced almost 800 square feet of carpet with laminate. The job is done and furniture is back in place.

Honestly, I didn't look forward this trip. I don't enjoy flying but the main issue was Julie. It's the start of the semester and she is working diligently to get caught up after visiting her father when he was hospitalized. She was unable to come with me.

However, I have enjoyed my visit immensely. It's pure pleasure to work together on a common task. I always enjoyed being a father and teaching my son and daughter skills. This week I had the opportunity to teach my grandsons a few new skills. Equally enjoyable was standing back and watching my son teach his sons and compliment them on their abilities. He braved the task of permitting them to use the table saw. I always found that trying when he was their age.

My daughter is doing fine. I feel good about what we accomplished.

Yesterday, for the first time, I met my great granddaughter.