My apologies for the extended silence. Those of you who know me on Facebook have some idea what's going on, but for the rest...

My sister had gone into the hospital for a bladder infection from her catheter, which had developed into sepsis by the time it was discovered. She stayed in a nursing facility for a while, then came home.

For 12 days. Her leg -- she'd lost one to a mysterious ailment that stopped the blood flow some time back -- had been red and swollen and weeping since her release, and had not improved. A trip to another hospital confirmed that she had a new round of sepsis. She was checked in to the Clements University Hospital, one of (if not) the best hospitals in Texas.

Last week, her blood pressure crashed. By Tuesday, her kidneys were failing, and I signed a Do Not Resuscitate order.

Thursday, I signed a document allowing them to withdraw life support. The end was scheduled for Friday morning.

My sister died at 9:15 Thursday night. Her heart stopped while I held her swollen hand and said goodbye.

She never was one for schedules...

But, yeah, that's what happened. We're still busy scheduling her cremation (she was very firm about wanting cremation) and her memorial service. So I apologize for the silence. I'll be back to normal once tings settle down.

Yours with a sign,

The saddened,

Wanderer