HM Knowingly Violates HIPAA

All systems are go for Christmas at the Mansion. The stockings are hung with care by the fake fireplace with no chimney. All presents are wrapped. Santa is on his own.

Tomorrow will dawn with a two-hour Chex Mix interlude, followed by an Oreo cake session. My mom is doing the rest, but we scale back for Christmas. The kids just want to get at the presents. Christmas Eve is still a question mark, what with a sudden illness at the Mayor's house. We're confident that everything will turn out OK for my nephew, who checked into the hospital Monday evening with a blood sugar level in the 800s. They had it down in the 300s last night, and from the last I heard, it was 167 after his breakfast this morning. He's in his early 20s. We're hoping they get him leveled out and informed how to monitor himself, and let him out for Christmas Eve.

Also in sick bay is my aunt, the best aunt, the gambling aunt. We just had lunch with her yesterday, and planned a gambling excursion with Grandma. But that is not to be. My aunt was babysitting for her great-granddaughter today, and as she left, she slipped on the ice and broke her hip AND her shoulder. She called me around suppertime and told me first of all that the gambling trip is off, that she's headed to St. Louis for surgery tomorrow. Unfortunately, Missouri Baptist is full to the brim, with nary a bed available, and she is being sent to Des Peres. I am a bit concerned for her, as HH's brother died there of what appeared to be a staph infection after checking in for pneumonia, and the sister of one of our staff died there of the same thing. My aunt didn't seem worried, though. I asked if she was in a lot of pain, and she said, "YES! But not right now, because they just gave me another pain shot." Mabel, I know you will say a prayer for her.

Sooo...if we can just keep this branch of the family tree intact, the holidays should go off without a hitch. The #1 son had a close call this morning, as he was sent to feed the 'special' chicken and its buddies. He stepped off the front porch of the Mansion, onto the brick sidewalk HH installed from bricks that used to be a street in town behind our old house until the city dug them up and blacktopped that alley, and slid like a bad figure-skater into the rock garden HH also installed. Oh, and The Pony, on his tree-finding adventure with HH, had a close call of his own. Sunday, while I did the shopping, HH and The Pony went to find a Christmas tree. We're a little behind this year. #1's basketball, and HH's freelancing for free as the local Santa have put us in a bind. Anyhoo, The Pony chose a Charlie Brown cedar tree. It is scraggley, but it is kind of wide. As HH sawed it down, that scrawny wide cedar fell on The Pony, giving him a bump on the nose. He has recovered, but I doubt that he will ever go into the logging business with HH.

Short of burning down the house while Chex Mixing and caking tomorrow, I think we can avoid injury. HH will just HAVE to be careful on the way to & from work.