The English poet Robert Burns wrote this line in the poem To a Mouse on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough: “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley.” To translate from the olde English he said “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” We discovered quite rapidly our responsibility lies here in North Dakota so we have canceled our planned bus tour to the Southwest.
Some days ago Mary’s dad, 92, slipped on the ice and fell breaking the femur bone quite badly in his right leg. He has been hospitalized ever since and will need close attention for some time. Recently a phone call from my dad informed us my mother, 88, was taken by ambulance to an emergency room in a Fargo hospital to reset a dislocated shoulder suffered from a fall. It was her second episode with the shoulder, the first being a visit to a local hospital and an overnight stay. Then, we also found out that my dad, 93, had fallen while taking garbage out to their dumpster and could not get back up and laid there about a half an hour before help came along.
We’re in the midst of a hard winter with lots of cold and snow. We have decided it is best to stay right here, stock up with lots of books, and offer as much assistance as we can to our parents.
