Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for my husband, Dan, as we walk through this season of recovery after his heart attack. Every prayer and every generous gift to our family is appreciated so much, more than we can possibly express! I'm thankful to report that Dan is feeling stronger every day. He has to remain off work for two months before the cardiologist will decide about his return to work. He will begin a cardiac rehab program next week to help him regain his strength. I also want to share that we are very close to meeting Baby Clara; it will most likely be sometime this week that we will get to meet her! 

Fall in North Idaho along the Kootenai River

The month of November is always a rather "gray" month in our neck of the woods.  The leaves have mostly fallen, and the sun disappears behind the rain and fog that hangs around.  We need the rain, of course, and the gray days just help us begin to look with anticipation for the day when the snow will fall and brighten the world. But even with all the gray, there are still bright spots of color when the sun does come out. 

Time stopped for us - literally - on Saturday morning, October 18th.  Dan and I were taking our usual Saturday morning walk together. It was a frosty morning, about 22 degrees. We passed a neighbor whom we often see when we walk, and greeted him with a "Good Morning".  Just minutes later, Dan said the frosty air was hurting his lungs and that he couldn't walk any farther. He has mentioned this before when walking, and we didn't think this was odd.  But, we turned around to go home when he said he was experiencing some gas pains, and wanted to wait for me to go home and get the pickup, and bring him home. After arriving home, he continued to complain of gas pains and wanted to go to bed. I noted he was clammy and very sweaty, and realized this could be a heart attack. I immediately called 911 and told them I was concerned he was having a heart attack. I gave him 3 aspirin with a tiny bit of water while we waited for EMS to arrive.  Dan was still conscious and speaking, and the aspirin eased his pain. EMS arrived and determined he was in serious heart distress, and transported him emergently to the local heart hospital. 

It was a very frosty, foggy Saturday morning when our lives changed forever

Is there any flower more heartwarming than a sunflower's bloom in late summer/early fall? This sunflower bloomer was an optimist in my garden this summer.  In spite of harsh circumstantial reality, it chose to sprout up inside a small pot planted with potatoes. In true symbiotic rhythm, the potato and sunflowers grew happily together all summer, amazing me, and all who witnessed it! When the potatoes were ready to harvest, we found the potatoes nestled into the roots of the sunflower.  After pulling out the potatoes, I repotted the sunflower, and it has grown happily since, after a time of readjustment. 

A sunflower growing in the same pot as a potato