Out of Step

18th day of dad being in a hospital. What's really wierd is when I leave and go home and I feel so out of place. A lot of times I go somewhere to decompress before going home. We've had some beautiful weather here in Houston lately and I'm such a flower/garden geek that those are the kind of places I've been choosing to go to. This is a lovely place that I literally stumbled upon on my way to pick up daughter, Meg, from school one day. It's Nelson's Water Gardens in Katy, Texas and, my gosh, I felt like Alice in Wonderland when I walked through their shop and went out back. They have these magnificent 5 ft. wind chimes that make the most beautiful, deep, zen-like gong noises. There was an almost constant breeze and everywhere you looked, there were these beautiful, tranquil fountains.

Really, it was exactly what I needed to erase all the beeps, smells, and sights from ICU for a little while and be able to re-enter "regular" life for a little while before going back the next morning.