Oof, hard news for breakfast.

I'm sorry, Karl. May peace be with you and yours.

I'm sorry, lisah.

I guess part of aging into kaftans and supplements is tending to our elders and losing them.

Karl, I'm sorry. Much love to your & yours.

lisah, I'm sorry, too. Much love & strength to you.

Karl and lisah, I'm so sorry.

In (hopefully) less-serious Aged Parent news, my mom and stepdad (who are 77 and 65, respectively) managed to get Covid while they're on vacation in Italy. This is the first time they've gotten it, but they're vaxxed and boosted and so far they have headaches and fatigue, but that's all. Hopefully it stays that way and stays mild. They are both robustly healthy (my mom especially so, given her age), so they should be fine. Really sucks for their Italian vacation, though. They've only been there 6 days, and the trip was planned for 14 days.

Hugs to everyone.

Karl, I'm so sorry.

Sheryl, that is a lot. Sending coping vibes and hoping you can find a workable solution.

David, I'm glad your face feels better!

I only have alarming elderly parent news, unfortunately. My mom, who has had back problems, and currently has lupus as well as some other issues (we call her Frankenlady since so little of her OG body is left), went to have a threatening mole-like thing on her cheek examined. Yesterday was a week since it was biopsied, and at 2:45 she was fretting that the doctor hadn't called with results.

And I, being a giant idiot, said, "Mom, you're hardly dying of cancer. Give the doctor till the end of the day." And yes, an hour later she appeared, crying, because it is indeed melanoma, the kind that spreads. And the doctor told her she needs to go to Penn in the city immediately to have it removed and her lymph nodes biopsied.

I'm just stunned -- you'd think nature could give her a fucking break, you know? And she's panicked because this is the first major medical issue she'll face without my dad.

Meanwhile, I haven't even started back to work yet. Packing us all up and driving off into the sunset sounds really tempting.

Nature does not seem disposed to giving breaks. I'm so sorry, Amy. Don't beat yourself up about making an unfortunate comment, if you can help it.

Oy, Amy, that's really unfortunate. I'm sorry.

(who are 77 and 65, respectively)

WTF?! Your stepdad is three years older than me!

David, I'm glad your face feels better!

Thanks! It does feel better. I'm about to go hiking up hill to Walgreens to get my topical ointments but steroids being the magic drugs they are, have already quelled much of the allergic response.

Matilda's godmother, Marta, is coming by this afternoon to make Hungarian Mushroom Soup with me.

Me, Marta and Matilda (in the Christening gown that Bev gave us): [link]

Thank you all.

Glad your Mom is someplace she can get quick and good care, Amy.

(who are 77 and 65, respectively)

WTF?! Your stepdad is three years older than me!

My joke is that my mom could never have married someone her age, because they wouldn't be able to keep up with her, so she had to marry someone 12 years younger than her. It's not really a joke, though, because she is a tiny dynamo. She recognizes that she is very much an outlier in terms of her ridiculously robust good health, and yet she doesn't have time for anyone who would slow her down. (She also doesn't *look* anywhere near 77, thanks to a combination of genuinely good DNA that makes us all look younger than we are, an admirable skincare regimen, AND some judicious cosmetic surgery. [edit: Also hair dye.] If I had to guess, I'd say she looks about 63 or 64, maybe even younger.)

My condolences to you and your family, Karl.

lisah, Amy, so sorry about the bad news for your parents.