The rest of the morning was spent assembling Christmas dinner: orange-almond salad, prime rib, popovers, and broccoli with almond topping. Dessert was had the night before, the Duo-tone Chocolate Pots de Creme recipe I found in the paper. After the meal and clean-up, I packed up some stuff including items for the folks next door, and hit the road about 20 minutes behind s-i-l and the kids. My brother will spend the night and then drive up in time to join his family for the flight to visit s-i-l's parents in Phoenix, while I drive back down to stay at least a day or so past whenever my father has his catheter removed again (now scheduled for Monday).
Tonight: the laundry is going, one prescription refill (less urgent) has been ordered from the Internet pharmacy, the other (more urgent) has been discovered to have no refills left. I will have to call the drugstore tomorrow and beg for enough pills to last me through next week. I need to assess what additional clothes and other items to take with me, sweep up all the paper on the desk that contains bills and requests for donations not yet made, get to the drugstore, and get back on the road. My s-i-l seems to feel that my father needs someone there constantly--my assessment was that he will be fine if there's a 6 or 7 hour gap between my brother leaving and my return, even though he will have to get his own lunch. There's lots of easily accessible food in the fridge, and he's moving around the house OK--slowly, but OK. Nonetheless, I'll try to get off as quickly as I can. It's a 3-1/2 hour drive....
The cats are glad I'm home, but unaware that the (larger) suitcase that's now out is getting filled, not emptied. This one night stand is really cruel and unusual punishment for them, and the extended absence so soon after the Disney trip is..., well, let's just say I hate doing it to them, but that's the way it's got to be.
