The Vermont Muench Family Blog

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2010-08-28T08:32:00.001-04:00

Taylor Does Great in Guys and Dolls

2010-04-09T06:29:00.003-04:00

Race For the Cure Video by Bill and Brian

2010-03-09T06:16:00.000-05:00

Rob and Bill Go to watch Duke vs. Maryland

2010-02-11T08:24:00.002-05:00

Weston and Friends Skiing Jan. 2010

2010-01-25T06:46:00.001-05:00

We Miss Our Friend Brian Gawlik

2009-12-22T07:18:00.004-05:00

BBA mourns teacher's passing

Andrew McKeever - Managing Editor

Posted: 12/09/2009 06:00:53 PM EST

MANCHESTER - Brian Gawlik, a film and technology teacher at Burr and Burton Academy, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 8, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover N.H., following complications from cancer. He was 48 years-old.

He was the first technology instructor the school hired following the construction of the Smith Center, which houses the communications and technology classrooms, as well as a fully-equipped television studio. He held the post of the Jonathan Levin chair in technology, which was endowed by Gerald Levin and Barbara Riley Levin in 1998 in honor of Mr. Levin's son.

Gawlik was a natural and inspirational teacher who encouraged numerous students to go onto to further study at the college level in communications and broadcast journalism, said former BBA Headmaster Charles "Chuck" Scranton, who hired him for the position in July, 1999.

At that point, Gawlik had had no previous teaching experience, Scranton said, but he was the right person for the job.

"He had all the obvious skills in terms of understanding the technology and the vision of where we wanted to go," Scranton said. "We took a chance and it was one of the best hires I ever made. He just innately believed that kids had the wisdom and the ability to do something unique."

From September 1999 until June 2008, Gawlik taught digital filmmaking and television news production as well as helped students make their own documentary films. He then spent a year - from June 2008 to June 2009

- at the Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City receiving treatment for cancer. He returned to Burr and Burton this fall and resumed his teaching duties until forced to seek further treatment at Dartmouth-Hitchcock about six weeks ago.

Gawlik's passing prompted an outpouring of messages of support and well-wishes on a Facebook page set up by Nikki Grossfeld, a Burr and Burton 10th grade student. By 6 p.m. Tuesday night more than 700 people had left messages or posted photographs, and by Wednesday morning that number had swollen to more than 900.

Gawlik had a huge impact on her brother, who graduated from BBA this past June, Grossfeld said.

"He was the kind of teacher who was also a friend," Grossfeld said. "When I first found out he had a limited number of days left I realized that everyone had memories of him that I would never be able to have.... that made me want to hear more about him. I didn't know it would have as large an outcome as it did, although I was hoping for it. I know he touched not only the lives of all the kids at BBA but also many who have already graduated."

The page will stay up indefinitely, she said.

Gawlik will be deeply missed by the staff and students at the school, said Headmaster Mark Tashjian.

"Brian was a revered teacher, colleague, and friend, and this is a devastating loss to this community," he said. "The only blessing is that he had the chance to say goodbye and leave this world on his own terms. Our hearts go out to the Gawlik family, his students and colleagues, and the students in future generations who will not have the chance to be touched by this great teacher."

Gawlik is survived by his parents, Helen and Joe Gawlik of Manchester, his brother and sister-in-law Joe and Wendy Gawlik of Manchester, his brother Gregg Gawlik of Pawlet, his sister and brother-in-law Jeannine and Eric Lonsway and nephew and niece Quinn and Maeve Lonsway of Portland, Ore.

A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated on Saturday, Dec. 12, at Christ Our Savior/ St. Paul's Catholic Church in Manchester at 11 a.m.

Astronomy Club makes the newspaper!

2009-11-17T11:07:00.002-05:00

Manchester, Vt. - Across Vermont, people stepped out in the dark to look up at the sky last night for a look at the Leonid Meteor shower forecasted for last night.

Standing in the dark at the Manchester Recreation Park, Bill Muench, a teacher at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vt., had an unexpectedly large crowd gathered at 4 a.m. to witness the night-time spectacle.

Muench described the scene, “We had adults, community members, teachers, and there was quite a number of students. I think we topped a hundred!”

“It was just a wonderful experience with everybody getting together and we finally had a clear sky where we could do some viewing.

“We brought the laser out,” he said referring to a bright green pointer often used by astronomers. “We did the constellations, checked out Mars. It wasn’t the most spectacular meteor shower but it was just a great group of kids,” he said, getting the thumbs up from a couple of sleepy-eyed kids.

Tim Dexter, a 17-year old student at the Academy, was one of those who attended the star-gazing Tuesday morning. ”There were a lot of people there. Everybody was just out in the field, they all had their sleeping bags and we were all just laying down looking up at the sky. Some people went over and started making fires for breakfast. Everybody just migrated over there because it got really cold, “he said a bit bleary-eyed as his school day started.

“It was worth it,” he said. “It was like a combination of learning experience and social event. It was a two-fer,” he said. Students huddled together around the fire that morning kept track of how many streaks they spotted zipping across the star-studded backdrop.

Muench pointed out how appealing the event turned out to be for the younger crowd. ”Half of those kids couldn’t make it to school on time on a daily basis,” he said.

“They were there early for a 4 a.m. meeting to view the meteor shower.” Muench said he wasn’t sure beforehand if there would be 5 or 50 people. He said, “I’m especially thrilled that so many people can still get excited about celestial events like this and turn out for it.”

-Vermont Daily News staff report

Weston's Band "PLEASE STAY" accoustic Hotel California

2009-11-07T07:29:00.002-05:00

The Boys do a great job---check out the guitar solos!

DiGrandi Wedding With Don't Leave

2009-10-29T15:14:00.002-04:00

Photos from our last gig by Lee Krohn...

The pigs go to "Doggie Heaven" Today

2009-10-21T05:33:00.004-04:00

Don't Leave -- ART IN ACTION gig

2009-10-20T06:46:00.001-04:00

Summer Trip photo montage

2009-09-14T12:04:00.000-04:00

Juno and Gus chillin' in the sun

2009-08-19T14:53:00.002-04:00

Our New Dog Juno

2009-08-16T16:18:00.000-04:00

interview montage

2009-08-06T17:55:00.001-04:00

Interviews with Dr. Marcy, Dr. Shostak, Fr. Coyne, Gene Kranz and Captain Alan Bean.

Mission Control Houston and Flight Director Gene Kranz

2009-08-05T15:41:00.001-04:00

Bill Muench Interviews Alan Bean 4th man to walk on the moon

2009-08-04T14:02:00.001-04:00

Fr. George Coyne Vatican Astronomer, Tuscon, AZ

2009-08-04T05:49:00.005-04:00

Grand Canyon

2009-08-03T05:58:00.004-04:00

Jet Propulsion Lab Passadena, CA

2009-08-02T06:12:00.003-04:00

Interview clip with Dr. Kevin Hand (Europa Mission) and Dr. Gentry Lee.

Visit to SETI

2009-08-01T15:20:00.004-04:00

Interview with Dr. Seth Shostak from the SETI institute.
Interview with Dr. Jill Tarter from the SETI Institute.

Interview With Geoff Marcy Extrasolar-planet Hunter

2009-07-31T06:01:00.001-04:00

Yellowstone with astronomer Bob Berman

2009-07-30T05:46:00.002-04:00

Our Summer Trip (Bill Muench Receives 2009 Ormbsy Hill Award)

2009-07-30T05:36:00.002-04:00

Barb and I used a grant to travel to 8 states on 10 lights in 16 days to interview 14 astronomers and astronauts! The boys were at summer camp while we were gone. We started in New York City, then Yellowstone then on to San Fran, Long Beach, Pasadena, Flaggstaff, Tucson, Houston, Coco Beach and back home. Along the way we spoke with some of teh biggest names in astronomy and space travel.

Bill Muench Receives 2009 Ormbsy Hill Award

English teacher Bill Muench is the 2009 recipient of the Ormsby Hill Trust Fund for Excellence Award. Muench plans to use the grant to “travel, meet, interview and thank the guest speakers” who have addressed his students in his Space and Time class at Burr and Burton.

Muench started teaching the course five years ago to share his passion for space exploration with his students. “This class has evolved into a truly interdisciplinary course,” said Muench, who over the years has invited dozens of speakers to address the students, both in person and through teleconferencing. The award will give him the opportunity to visit space-related sites and meet the men and women who have been involved with space exploration. He will start his journey in Pasadena, California, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and end at the Kennedy Space Center where he will have an front-row seat at the launch in August of the Space Shuttle Discovery. “I will videotape interviews with each person I visit and present the final project to my future students.”

The Ormsby Hill Trust Fund for Excellence provides selected teaching faculty of the school with the financial resources necessary to further their professional development in a profound way. Each year a grant is given to a teacher whose proposed program or project best fulfills the award’s goal of supporting the improvement of the school’s educational mission by enhancing the professional abilities of its teachers.

The object of the grant is to allow faculty members to get outside their routine and engage in activities that will re-energize them as passionate learners and committed teachers. The fund, established by the late Ed Latz, a Burr and Burton teacher and coach for over twenty-five years, is administered by the Board of Trustees as part of the school’s restricted endowment.

Family Portrait by Dawne Polis

2009-07-11T08:03:00.000-04:00

DON'T LEAVE at Dormy Grill

2009-07-10T15:10:00.001-04:00

BBA Commencement 2009

2009-06-12T08:58:00.004-04:00

Click on video to hear Bill's speech.

Taylor's Baseball Season

2009-06-10T08:37:00.001-04:00

Taylor had quite the year on his baseball team and he is still playing this summer on the all-star team. Here are two short videos---1 is the end of a no-hitter he pitched and the other is his third HR in three at bats in the same game! Way to go Tay Tay!!

Dad Inducted into LeMoyne College Honorary Alum

2009-06-07T09:33:00.004-04:00

Jerry Carr and BIll Muench to give BBA's Commencement Address

2009-05-04T06:43:00.004-04:00

Former Astronaut Jerry Carr To Be Burr and Burton Academy’s Commencement Speaker. Bill Muench To Give Faculty Address

Headmaster Mark H. Tashjian is pleased to announce that Skylab astronaut Jerry Carr has accepted the school’s invitation to be the speaker at the 2009 Commencement Exercises.

“We are very excited that Jerry has agreed to be our speaker,” said Tashjian. “As this year is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo lunar landing and the 400th anniversary of Galileo's invention of the telescope, Mr. Carr's presence has historical as well as present-day relevance.”

read the rest of the article

Barb Grooming the Horses March 28

2009-03-28T15:42:00.003-04:00

Weston in the Music Man

2009-03-28T15:37:00.002-04:00

Taylor's 6th grade hoop team wins Tourney!

2009-03-25T06:11:00.011-04:00

Taylor's 6th grade team won the Ed Glodzik tournament this year. Over two hundred kids participated and Taylor was named to all-tourney team! Watch the game in the video below and see what a fun tournament this is. Also included is the article from the newspaper and yes, that is Taylor's arm in the picture from the paper!

WEST RUTLAND -— Free basketballs falling from the rafters. A laser light show. A magic show. Balloon animals.

Is it halftime at the University of Vermont?

Nope, just business as usual at a 5th- and 6th-grade basketball tournament celebrating its 50th birthday.

Welcome to the 50th edition of the Ed Glodzik Memorial Tournament at West Rutland High School, a rite of winter that keeps fans, supporters and teams coming back even after a long season spent indoors.

The tournament that was first played in a bandbox gym nearby is still going strong and is as good, if not better, than ever. Eighteens teams converged on Hinchey Gymnasium when the tournament began last Sunday, with Friday's third-place and championship games bringing down the curtain on another successful celebration of b-ball in a little town known for a proud sporting heritage.

"This is our March Madness," Pat Loughan, the event's public address announcer, said. "A lot of (future) stars come out for this tournament. They all remember it."

That's because members of the West Rutland Booster Club realize the value of their signature event and try to keep things fresh and exciting.

"Now that this tournament has become what it's become a lot of teams have this right on their schedule," John Center, a former booster club president, said. "And that's what we've been aiming to do, to give them the opportunity to compete in a playoff-type atmosphere.

"A lot of people come to see this tournament who don't even have kids in this tournament."

The tournament was renamed for Glodzik, a Westside graduate and sports enthusiast, in 1989. Glodzik passed away in 1988 but his legacy lives on.

Loughan, whose son Pat Jr. played for West Rutland High teams, was a good friend of Glodzik and coached a local team that won the event the year it was renamed.

Members of his team asked Loughan whether they could dedicate the victory to Glodzik if they won the title.

"They weren't cocky, but they were confident," Loughan said.

"I was almost in tears. We're talking about fifth- and sixth-graders here."

Loughan, like many others, has been part of the tournament for decades.

Theresa McGinnis is one of the smiling faces greeting spectators at the admissions table.

"I come back for this because this is just so much fun," she said. "It's a social event."

And a very competitive one, showcasing players sure to be recognized at higher levels in years to come. But even these mighty-mites are capable of drama, like the Proctor player who sent a game into overtime Wednesday night with a nothing-but-net 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation time.

"The kids" keep me coming back, booster club president Mark Coderre said. "They enjoy this so much. You can see the looks on their faces and that's worth all the time and effort."

The boosters run the tournament like a big-time event. Copies of a reprinted story about Glodzik and the tournament provide spectators with a sense of its history. Every team member is listed in a program, which also includes a tournament bracket.

The boosters club is a classy group that puts the proceeds back into the tournament, and into Westside sports from kindergarten through high school.

In this special year, every player received a golden engraved commemorative medal. The volunteer officials, men who commonly work high school games, receive engraved golden whistles.

The crowning touch was Friday's third-place game and the title game, after which Annie Higgins, Glodzik's widow, handed out trophies befitting a high school state championship along with the Glodzik children, Bethany and Brian.

Magician "Mr. Phil" from Tilden, N.H., was hired to entertain the crowd Friday night and between the last game and the trophy presentation came the highlight of many youngsters' week as 100 free, regulation basketballs were dropped from the rafters.

The timing of the basketball giveaway was something the boosters tweaked after introducing it last year.

"All we heard (during the championship game) was bounce, bounce, bounce."

Just like the steady beat of this special event as it prepares for its second half-century.

bob.fredette@rutlandherald.com

Winter is almost over and spring is coming

2009-03-16T06:21:00.005-04:00

It has been a very busy winter for our family and I have not had a chance to update the blog. Don't Leave is playing again and one of the highlights was having Weston's band ("Please Stay") share the stage with us. I also coached at the high school level for the first time in years. It was also the first time that I coached a girls team. It was the best experience that I have ever had coaching! Weston made the states in skiing and had a very successful season as did Taylor in basketball. Taylor was names all-tournament team twice this winter and single handedly outscored one of the teams we played. He scored 31 points and the team we played scored 30! Barb and I worked hard this winter (Barb worked harder than I did). In addition to her work at school Barb worked at Stratton Mt. on the weekends. I taught adult night classes in Psychology and Space exploration. CHeck out Weston's band below:

The season ends today for the JV Green team

2009-02-11T05:02:00.002-05:00

What an enjoyable year I had coaching this group of girls. We improved each game and each girl gave 100 % each day this year! I will be missing this team after school each day when the last game has been played.

Weston's Band "Please Stay" Performs at Pink's

2009-01-12T12:42:00.003-05:00

Check out the three songs that the boys played at their first real gig!

Barn lights, moon, venus and jupiter

2008-12-24T15:08:00.002-05:00

Skunk the Crazy Cat

2008-11-17T14:27:00.002-05:00

This week in Vermont Fall08

2008-10-13T11:12:00.002-04:00

Here is a 3 minute video that covers this week in Vermont. It starts with video of Don't Leave (band) playing for Warm Up Vermont, pictures of the foliage, pics of the boys, Weston racing and Barb riding her horse.

WARMUPVERMONT Show at Bromley

2008-10-06T10:55:00.001-04:00

Weston and friends singing Numa Numa

2008-10-04T16:58:00.002-04:00

Look for Taylor with the puppet on the left:-)

Don't Leave at Bromley Mountain Oct. 5

2008-09-22T05:31:00.005-04:00

Don't Leave is back!
After a short (2 year) hiatus, Don't Leave is reunited and back performing with its ageless, unique blend of time honored rock and roll built around powerful vocals and contagious energy. Bill Muench and Lee Romano started Don't Leave (with Rich Titus) 23 years ago at Stratton Mountain. Dave Domenick joined the band in 1998 and with the recent addition of Mike Meaney on drums/vocals along with Greg Snedeker on keyboard/cello/vocals, the band is ready to rock the Northshire. Don't Leave has enjoyed a devoted following over the years, performing throughout the Northeast and beyond while making friends at every step along the way. They are proving once again that they are "...more fun than is absolutely necessary." (photo courtesy of Lee Krohn)

Come Join Don't Leave for a fun evening and a worthy cause! Warm Up Vermont is a group of concerned residents decided to step up and address the potential heating crisis for our local community.

Warm Up Vermont’s kick-off event will be held at Bromley on October 5th. Tickets will cost $10 per person or $25 per family (plus a small ticketing charge) if purchased in advance online. Tickets will be available at the door for $15 (individual) and $30 (family). Prices includes use of The Adventure Park between 3:30-5:00 and entertainment by the Don’t Leave Band from 6:45-9:00 along with the silent auction and brown bag raffle.

Team Trivia will also be held between 5:15-6:30. Special guest Governor Jim Douglas will kick off the contest and a grand prize of $500 will be awarded to the team winning the most rounds. Tickets will be $20 per person with a limit of 5 people per team.

Warm Up Vermont will be matched one dollar for every dollar raised, up to $8,000! So please plan on attending our kick-off drive for Adventure, Trivia and Music for a very good cause on October 5th. There's something for everyone!

Taylor Goes for a Ride on Cisco

2008-09-21T15:16:00.005-04:00

Taylor became the next Muench equestrian today! He took the reins and rode Cisco for a walk up Wideawake and down Three Maple Drive. He did a great job! Of course his Mom was beaming beside him :)
Cisco was a gentleman all the way. Our fan club included Skunk and Bill who cheered us on our way out.

Bill's trip to the Final Weekend of Baseball at Yankee Stadium

2008-09-21T05:01:00.001-04:00

What an exciting day Bill had with his friend Al Ishu (ESPN Cameraman). Bill had the chance to see how ESPN works a baseball game. He got behind the scenes, saw interviews with Jeter (Bill even shook his hand!) and Reggie Jackson, went to the editing trucks, saw many players, watched Johnny Damon play baseball with his kids alone on the field after the game, and even got a chance to get behind the dugout camera. Thank you Al for giving Bill such an amazing weekend!

Don't Leave Plays LIVE GREEN Event

2008-09-03T02:09:00.006-04:00

Here is the song set we used (We did a tight 45 minutes):

LIVE GREEN (RILEY RINK Saturday Aug. 30, 2008)

Cripple Creek
Keep your hands to yourself
Abracadabra –
Barefootin’
Friend of the devil (Greg on Cello)
Amie (Greg on Cello)
Wild Nights
Higher Ground
Take the Money and Run
Ice Fishing
Rolling Stone (greg on cello) / Bertha (greg on Piano)

(photos courtesy of Lee Krohn)

Camping with the Schwartz Family

2008-08-14T09:05:00.007-04:00

Check out Barb's imitation of Michael Phelps.

The pigs are getting bigger

2008-08-14T08:33:00.000-04:00

Check out the piggies!

Barb introduces the Horses

2008-08-03T09:16:00.002-04:00

Barb's new truck and Rummy the horse.

Our Trip to Cooperstown

2008-07-31T08:25:00.001-04:00

Taylor's birthday wish was a trip to Cooperstown with the family. We spent an night at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor (really a hidden treat -- check it out). The next day Mom and Dad surprised Taylor by spending the day with us!

Billy Joel "Last PLay at Shea"

2008-07-16T08:10:00.004-04:00

Our dear friend Rich Millet took all of us to see the final concert at Shea with Billy Joel and special guests! 35 songs and three hours of music-- it was amazing!!

Billy Joel started with the Star Spangled Banner and ended a couple hours later with Souvenir. Behind the musicians was a large backdrop that showed not only scenes from New York, but also Mets highlights.

The big surprise, though, were the special guests who joined Joel on stage. Early in the show, it was Tony Bennett on New York State of Mind, (the boys thought Tony Bennett looked like Pop-Pop) followed by John Mayer (This is the Time), Don Henley (Boys of Summer) and John Mellencamp (Pink Houses). Rich- another highlight- Thank you!!!

The set list:

Star Spangled Banner
Miami 2017
Prelude/Angry Young Man
My Life
Everybody Loves You Now
The Entertainer
Zanzibar
Allentown
Ballad of Billy the Kid
New York State of Mind (with Tony Bennett)
Big Man on Mulberry Street
Root Beer Rag
Movin Out
Goodnight Saigon
Don't Ask Me Why
This is the Time (with John Mayer)
Keeping the Faith
Downeaster "Alexa"
Innocent Man (including an intro of Stand By Me)
Boys of Summer (with Don Henley)
She's Always a Woman
Captain Jack
Lullabye
River of Dreams (including a bit from A Hard Days Night)
Pink Houses (with John Mellencamp)
We Didn't Start the Fire
Still Rock and Roll
You May Be Right
Please Please Me

Encore:

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Only the Good Die Young
She Loves You
Piano Man
Souvenir

Our New Cat "Skunk"

2008-07-14T10:36:00.004-04:00

Our new kitty is a tuxedo kitty who enjoys playing with Gus' tail, chasing his toy mouse and walks on the beach at sunset.

hoop camp 08

2008-07-05T05:57:00.005-04:00

The pigs are here!

2008-05-30T20:57:00.002-04:00

Bill and I just came in from serving dinner to our piggies. They are sooooo adorable and fun to watch. We have two blacks, and two oreo colored with one gender representing each color. We have had visitors as far as Chittenden. Our woods is looking nice and rotatilled. We are feeding them pig mash which I mix with a little warm water for a lovely texture and dining experience. We also collect scraps from our meals however because I cook enough to eat for 4 their scraps consist of scrapings from a pan here and there....although they did polish off a watermelon rind yesterday. Gus is like a mama to them. He walks around the pen sticking his nose in and he enjoys licking their mash covered noses. The boys come and look but are afraid of being too attached now. We may have to buy pigs from somewhere else since all of our pigs are named Wilbur! So far we are enjoying our new role as hog farmers.

The Lion King

2008-05-11T20:17:00.008-04:00

We went into NY City this weekend to visit our friend Brian Gawlik (Brian looks great and he is ready for the bone marrow transplant) and our good buddy Rich Millet took us out to see The Lion King. It was one of the most amazing things that I have ever seen! Rich got us excellent seats and it was something that our family will never forget.
Sunday morning we visited with Brian for a couple of hours at Mt. Sinai Hospital. He says that he is receiving excellent care and that he is ready for the bone marrow transplant. He is an amazing person who has helped so many of us through our medical issues. All of us want him to know that we will be there when he needs us!

Summer Baseball has Begun

2008-05-09T06:27:00.004-04:00

Weston and Taylor had quite a game yesterday! Taylor pitched and got the win and had to two hits. Weston came in and pitched the last inning to get the save and hit two home runs.

Water Park fun in Florida

2008-04-15T09:03:00.000-04:00

Today we spent the morning at the water park. The kids had a ball. Barb had the most fun riding the hippo in the kiddie pool!

Florida 2008

2008-04-14T05:54:00.001-04:00

After our trip to the hospital, Washington D.C. and Kennedy Space Center, we headed to West Palm Beach for a week of relaxation on the beach and by the pool. Later in the week, we had a chance to visit with friends of ours Lu and Clark French. Taylor was especially happy to see their son , Nikki, his buddy from Vermont. All in all it was relaxing and a treat to be together healthy and happy after the last year that we have had.

Cape Kennedy Space Center

2008-04-13T17:25:00.007-04:00

What a time we had at the Kennedy Space Center! Mom and Aunt Sharon met us at Cape Canaveral and we spent an entire day touring the KSC. We saw the launch pads , all the rockets and space ships that went into space. We met astronaut Jack Lousma who flew on Skylab 3 (see the video below). We went to the Astronaut Hall-of-Fame and saw our friend, Jerry Carr's hall-of-Fame plaque.

Washington D.C. with Tina and Bart

2008-04-12T06:30:00.000-04:00

What a great time we had in Washington D.C. We spent an entire day walking "The Mall" and I was amazed at how impressive the entire place is. We had never been as a family and we were very moved by the Korean, Viet Nam and WWII memorials.

1-Year check-up went well!

2008-04-11T06:17:00.000-04:00

Things went well in Baltimore and the MRI showed what most people suspected already--there is nothing in my head! After the appointments at Johns Hopkins we headed to meet up with mom and Aunt Sharon at the Kennedy Space Center. A friend of ours said that there is a saying at the hospital: "Johns Hopkins always looks better in the rear-view mirror."

Burr and Burton recognizes faculty and staff for years of devoted service

2008-03-30T10:13:00.003-04:00

MANCHESTER - Burr and Burton Academy Headmaster Charles W. Scranton recognized the exceptional service of faculty and staff members in a special presentation at the school's weekly assembly.

Mathematics Department faculty and longtime soccer and softball coach Dan DeForest received special recognition for his 30 years of service to Burr and Burton. Arts Department Chair Betsy Hubner received the thanks of the school for her 20 years of service. Bill Muench, Gary Baker, and Tony Napolitano were honored for their 15 years of service. Faculty and staff members Mary Blair, Georgia Chingos, Milissa Cone, Kathy Croft, Jamie Hill, Meg Kenny, Barbara Muench, and Chris Nolan were honored for their 10 years of service.

Sugaring Season in Vermont

2008-03-16T14:12:00.003-04:00

It was a year ago today that Mary Lee, Bill, and I were making our journey home from Johns Hopkins in a blizzard....I like sugaring much better! Bill drilled the holes yesterday, hung the buckets, and collected enough for boiling this afternoon. After a morning skiing at Stratton, Taylor came home to check buckets and romp with Gus. While Bill and I were carrying the newly collected sap Taylor caught a photo of us on our way to the fire pit....can't wait to taste that Vermont gold!!! Rich Millet flew in from NYC last night and after attending our neighbor's (Nicholsons) "bacon party" we went to the Bushees to watch their sugaring process with bonafide equipment...water extractors, boiling vats, and purifiers. They sell their syrup to some local restaurants. We learned the difference between Vermont Fancy (very light), Grade A, Grade A amber, and Grade B. It all has to do with the weather that day it is collected and/or the beginning of the season...lighter in the beginning and darker at the end. B is best for cooking but A usually is more desirable for pancakes....however we love them all. The finished product last night yielded a scrumptous Grade A light. I'm not sure what the Muench batch will offer but better than Vermont Maid! Taylor is working on naming our syrup....:) We can't wait to have Weston home too!

Weston Skiing in Utah

2008-03-16T13:15:00.006-04:00

Weston is skiing in Utah with his coaches this week and he is having the time of his life. The Powder is a bit deeper than it is in Vermont! Here is Weston's trip in his own words: Hi, Utah was the coolest place ever! We got about 3 feet of snow in the amount of time we were out there. I got the best powder of my life. There was nobody there during the week days so we had the mountain all to ourselves. I got waist deep powder in some places. The place we stayed at was about 2500 sq. ft. It was awesome. We had a foosball table and a lot of room. The plane ride was also so much fun.

Weston in the Front Yard

2008-03-10T14:06:00.003-04:00

Sledding at Burr and Burton Academy

2008-03-10T06:10:00.002-04:00

Weston and Taylor coming down the Observatory Hill at BBA!

What a diffrence a year makes....

2008-03-08T09:49:00.009-05:00

One year ago today I was enjoying intensive care in Baltimore MD. Here are my scars and a picture of me thinking about going for a walk with my dog Gus this fall. Thank you again, everyone, for the support, prayers, thoughts and help this year! I have learned a lot about the importance of family and friends!!
One of my doctors said that there's a legendary Baltimore saying that "Hopkins always looks best in your rear view mirror."

The Annual Trip to Duke

2008-02-25T05:58:00.004-05:00

Rob Hunter and I had another fantastic trip to North Carolina. As you can see in the picture above, our seats were "courtside!" Jerry Welsh (my college basketball coach) got us the tickets and gave us a tour of the new practice facility. We stayed with our good friend Brian Blochl and even had a chance to visit our former student Anders Campbell (he is the Head of the "Cameron Crazies"). Check out the video of our trip below!

Weston's Magic Mountain Race Feb. 2008

2008-02-12T06:56:00.002-05:00

Weston places 5th in the Stratton Mt. Race

2008-01-13T13:35:00.001-05:00

Weston had a great weekend! Friday night his basketball team had a good win over Christ the King and on Saturday he placed 5th out of 40 skiers at Stratton Mountain's J4 Giant Slalom race.
Check out his race below!

Taylor led his 5th/6th grade basketball team in a comeback win over Arlington!

Christmas in NY City with Rich Millet 2007

2007-12-20T06:16:00.001-05:00

This year's visit with Rich Millet (and Kyle Blochl) was the best ever! We had Chinese food at Wo Hop, we saw dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History, went to the Hayden planetarium, had lunch at South Street Seaport, went to Rockefeller Center and saw the tree, hung out at Lincoln Center and had dinner at Patsy's on 110th street (the restaurant where they filmed a scene from the Godfather). Rich is, as always, the ultimate host and treated us to an amazing time!

Bill's Birthday 2007

2007-12-12T17:52:00.002-05:00

I had always wanted an "Astronaut" theme for a birthday party when I was a child. I just had to wait 40 years to get one. I was very fortunate to have three major players from the Apollo era speak at my adult Space and Time course. Gene Kranz, flight director, made famous by Ed Harris' portrayal of him in the movie Apollo 13 called in and answered questions. Andy Chaikin, author of A MAN ON THE MOON, was in attendance. Col. Jerry Carr, commander of Skylab 4, showed us home movies from space and answered many questions. We had parents, teachers, students and family members. It was a night to remember!
(The photo on the left is Jerry Carr, Andy and Vickie Chaikin and me)
(The other photo is mom and dad with Col. Jerry Carr)

Back To Baltimore -- Eye Stuff

2007-11-05T13:23:00.000-05:00

Friday I had the chance to visit with Rich Millet, Jack Whittier and Brian Blochl. Rich Millet treated us to a night on the town that featured The Police concert at Madison Square Garden. Saturday, we watched Rich's football team, Beth Page, win a playoff game 34-0. Saturday night we went to Angelo & Maxie's Steakhouse. WOW!! It was the best steakhouse I have ever been to!

Sunday morning I headed down to Baltimore by train and had lunch with one of my former students Emily Welsh and her friend Melissa. We had lunch at the ESPN zone and had lots of laughs.

Monday morning Dr. Akpek looked at my eye and we are still working on controlling some of the eye problems. I will be happy when this phase is over. Monday night I was back in Vermont.

Red Sox Sweep (Again)

2007-10-29T06:21:00.000-04:00

Here are pictures of the boys watching the final moments of the 2007 World Series. Weston had the "sweep broom" and Taylor had his "Rally Blankie" to combat the Colorado "rally towels." Later, the boys did the "Papelbon dance" while I sprayed champagne on them under a midnight moonlit sky.

6-month check-up in Baltimore

2007-10-04T06:16:00.001-04:00

It was good seeing my surgeons after so many months. They enjoyed meeting Weston and Taylor and they were very pleased with the way I looked. The daily dose of Arc Trainer and lifting with my friend Rob Hunter seems to be working. I feel great at school, but I still need to get to bed early so that I can be ready for the next day. My eye is still the main concern and we are getting closer to answers thanks to Dr. Akpek at Johns Hopkins. She is a cornea expert and she doesn’t believe my eye will get much better, but she doesn’t think it will get worse. I will see her again in six weeks and we’ll know more. We had a great time at the Inner Harbor and the Orioles vs. Yankees game. Weston caught a Maztsui batting practice home run and we met Boog Powell at his BBQ.

The real treat was meeting up with our long lost friend Arnie D’Amico! The last time we saw him was at our wedding! He has a wonderful family and we went to the game together---it was so great to reconnect!!!

Gus singing

2007-10-01T13:42:00.001-04:00

Gus loves when the kids practice their sax!

School has begun....summer's over

2007-09-09T13:57:00.000-04:00

It has been a long time since I have updated this blog. Barbara and the boys spent the summer at Brown Ledge Camp and I spent the summer slowly recovering with my trusty dog Gus. My eye seems to be getting better and my energy level has improved each week. I am teaching full-time at Burr and Burton Academy and part-time at Castleton College. I go to bed much earlier than I used to and I work out each day with my trainer, Rob Hunter. I am up to 165lbs and Rob wants me to get bigger before I return to Johns Hopkins on September 28th for my six-month check up.

This weekend the family went to Squam Lake in N.H. to see two friends of ours (Kim Beardwood and Scott Smith) get married. It was quite a reunion of the entire Stratton gang! Above is a picture of me with the groom and Barb with the bride. We also have a new kitty ("Scrubs") to fill the void created by the death of our dear cat Zevon ( click here to see the video of zevon with Lanigan) at 18 years old. Weston is holding "Scrubs" in the picture above.

All-Star teams and eyes

2007-07-30T06:51:00.003-04:00

Weston's little league team had a terrific season! click here to read the article. Weston caught a ball in the eye off a bad hop and has a very cool shiner. My eye has improved to the point where I only have to patch at night! Yea! Taylor's all-star team won a game in the tournament and Taylor played very well (Click here to see his hit). Both boys are with Barb at Brown Ledge Camp and I am tending my garden. See Weston's hit below with the game on the line.

Eye Problems and Little League

2007-07-13T21:37:00.000-04:00

My eye is having some problems and we are all hoping that these issues are temporary. I am looking like a pirate. In the photo, Joe Nicholson is modeling the new "Bill Muench Basketball Camp" Bib. If Joe enjoys his bib, we may do a national campaign. Barbara is doing well as Head of Riding at Brown Ledge Camp. We miss her around the house but she is doing well up north. Weston's All-Star Little League team has not lost yet and Taylor's team is fighting to stay alive in the LL tournament. Weston took these two pictures of Taylor pitching and hitting a single.

July 4th at Ticonderoga with Uncle Bill

2007-07-06T06:44:00.001-04:00

July 4th was a lot of fun in Ticonderoga with Uncle Bill, mom and dad and Paul and Susan's family. Weston did well in the one-mile fun run (6:06) and then we watched the parade and went to parties. We even ran into the Rathbun family! Thanks Uncle Bill!

Bill's update-Written by Janeen Bjork

2007-07-03T22:30:00.000-04:00

Bill Muench Update, July 4, 2007

The following is an unedited update written by Janeen Bjork after she and her sister Sharon visited for three days. She is wearing the white shirt in the photograph and her younger sister Sharon is wearing the golf hat.

Who is Janeen Bjork and why should her opinion matter to me?

She watched TV and slept in Bill's parents' bed before he was born (her parents were playing bridge with his parents in the kitchen)
She babysat for Bill (she's five years older than he is and she has stories)
Bill's father was her high school guidance counselor
Bill was on a championship basketball team with her late brother Bob
Bill's uncle refused to officiate at her wedding (good call!)
Bill's brother Paul was hired to guard the house while Janeen got married
Janeen helped Bill's sister-in-law get an interview at Nickelodeon
Bill's mother was the first one to call Janeen C.J. (as in Claudia Jean Cregg on "The West Wing")

First things first, how did Bill seem to someone who has never been a doctor nor played one on TV?

Bill had just finished two weeks of his eponymous basketball camp an hour before my sister Sharon and I arrived at his house. There were cars in the driveway of people we didn't expect would be in Vermont. We were delighted to find his father (Tom), his uncle (Father Bill), his sister-in-law (Susan) and his brother's children (Mary, Anna and Will) were visiting. We also met a fellow teacher who had been assisting at Bill Muench basketball camp.
Bill was grateful to his brother Paul, whose football camp he'll be helping out at later this summer, for making the Bill Muench Basketball Camp happen this year. If you know Bill even a little, you know he gave everything he had to give to the camp for those 14 days. According to Bill, he wasn't able to do much more than make announcements. We beg to differ: we know he had an always-interested ear to lend (but only if you were on his right side, thanks to the brain tumor, he can't hear from his left). The damage caused by the brain tumor that was removed in March 2007 is still affecting his balance. If like us, you think he was always a little unbalanced, you know he didn't start out at 100% anyway. It's still too early in his recuperation for him to be dribbling (well, he drools from time to time) or shooting hoops. We can assure you he didn't have a humor bypass. More about that to follow.

Watch out Ron Popeil . . .

Bill is preparing an infomercial that will surely make him a lot of money.

"Frustrated by diets that just don't work? Tired of spending money on food that tastes awful and makes you sick to your stomach? Intimidated by the goons in the local gym? Have we got something for you: You too can lose 30 lbs. in just a few months without buying any special food or equipment. Stop wasting your hard-earned money: the Brain Tumor Plan is the only guaranteed weight loss program on the market."

(Visual of before and after pictures of Bill Muench) "See, you too can go from buff to Biafran in a few short months when you learn the secret to melting those pounds of excess muscle away. Consult your doctor before beginning any weight loss program. Order this $250,000 value today and get a Bill Muench Basketball Camp t-shirt absolutely free. Call 1 (BRA) INT-TUMOR now, operators are standing by. Not available in any store. Side effects may include headaches, dizziness, lack of focus and death."

Heaven Can Wait

Bill told us about the highly-specialized teams that were waiting with clocklike precision to participate in his surgery. There were different teams to separate the tumor from his hearing center and to separate the tumor from his facial nerve. When asked about the autopsy team, he said they looked up from their card game and their sandwiches and waved as he was wheeled by on his way into surgery.

. . . And the rockets red glare

Bill and Paul's kids were in the swimming pool at the house across the street when we arrived. They had hardly dried off from swimming when he proposed a rocket launch. It required a drive to a large local field for safety reasons. Bottom line: his nephew Will was so into it we wouldn't be surprised to hear he joins NASA someday. Runs in the family though, we found scores of books and magazines on astronomy in Bill's house.

Bill has an "It's a Wonderful Life" revelation

No, it didn't involve an angel named Clarence. Burr and Burton Academy (the private school where Bill teaches English and Psychology) has a rundown and little-used brick observatory that needed a lot of TLC. Bill led the drive to restore the building and buy a state-of-the-art telescope. Until he got sidelined for several months by a few centimeters of alien brain tissue, he didn't realize that he was carrying the ball all by himself. Now that he's back, it's "To infinity and beyond" for Burr and Burton.

Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Bill Maher Muench

Dennis Miller devotees know that Miller's jokes are often delivered in three parts. Everyone is able to laugh at the first part. The second part takes a little more time and smarts. The third part is for literate people and so would only be funny to the people who know who Boo Radley is. In a discussion about the honors and awards given to local students, Bill managed to work in a Boo Radley reference. Atta boy, Bill. Keep it up and you'll be in the Comedy Hall of Fame.

"Kill Bill, Volume 3"

Bill, his sons Weston and Taylor, my sister and I went to the Clark Museum in Williamstown, MA. That's the town where Bill went to college. It was my idea that we go see the "Unknown Monet" exhibit. The museum provided the boys with small sketchbooks and pencils and encouraged them to try and create caricatures (as Monet had done professionally as a teenager). Taylor asked Bill to pose and then, without looking up, created a monster that resembled Medusa and threatened to kill the onlooker. Nice family: Freud would have had a field day.

Bill Muench, local celebrity

A mother of one of Bill's students, who lives four houses down the street (Wideawake), called while Bill was dozing. Taylor must have mumbled her name to him so Bill picked up the phone, not knowing he was talking with China Somple. When she invited him to a 50th birthday party she was having for her husband, he still wasn't sure who he was talking to and asked, "Where do you live?" She thought he was joking and laughed.

Bill told Sharon and me that he didn't expect he'd know anyone but the immediate family at the party so we'd just go long enough to score some food and be polite. Right. Instead, he was moving from conversation to conversation and table to table as if he were the mayor of the town. When he wasn't within earshot (either his good or bad his bad ear), I heard from various people what a great teacher he was, what a great basketball coach he was, and what a difference he had made in the lives of their children. I also heard what an asset he was to the community. Yada yada.

I was impressed. That was, until I saw the reception his sons Weston and Taylor got when they arrived at the party after a baseball practice. Since the hostess had three daughters, the teenagers, tweens and kids at the party were 95% female. Both boys held court with hordes of girls of their respective age groups giving them their undivided attention.

No drought in Arlington

Bill is teaching his sons the importance of good sportsmanship. I guess they've been handed at least one humiliating defeat by their rivals in Arlington, VT. As a form of retaliation, Bill encouraged the boys to save their pitstops to and from Massachusetts for the ballfield in Arlington.

Name That Tune

For those who thought Bill was unbeatable in "Name That Tune," what with the 11,000 songs in his I-Pod and his years as a musician, we found his Achilles heel, musically speaking. It's musicals. That's right, in singing "Tay-Tay" songs for Taylor, Bill didn't recognize "Lullabye of Broadway" ("Good night Tay-Tay, sleep tight, the milkman's on his way). He also didn't catch "Steam Heat," a song from "Pajama Game" that might apply to my pyromaniac sister who kept a constant fire going in the backyard ("They told me to throw some more coal in the boiler"). Finally, from "Most Happy Fella," "Joey, Joey, Joey."

Janeen Bjork

Camp Went Great!!!

2007-07-01T22:42:00.000-04:00

This year's camp was the best ever this year thanks to a little (a whole lot of) help from my friends! The coaches, the counselors and the campers were so much help this year and we couldn't have done it without them! The coaches even got me a director's chair and a bullhorn to keep me from moving around! The boys had a great time and cousin Mary was a camper the second week while uncle Paul helped coach. Bibit Marion single handedly directed all camp operations and kept me and the boys fed!

My "Healing Garden"

2007-06-22T22:54:00.000-04:00

My personal physician, Dr. Bob Schwartz and his wonderful bride, Mary Barrosse Schwartz, came to the house with their son Bernie to set up my very first garden! Bob has been such an important part of my recovery. Mary is the one who did a very flattering commentary on VPR about me the day that I had surgery (Hear Mary's commentary) It is the first step toward my new independent life-style! It will also give me something to do this summer while I am healing! Thanks guys!!

Update on Bill's Health

2007-06-18T05:54:00.000-04:00

I am doing much better since my episode a few weeks ago. My blood work last week was all-good for the first time in six months! I am very tired, but I am feeling much healthier now that I am off the IV antibiotics. Basketball Camp starts today and I am lucky that I have a lot of good people helping me. Barb is up at Brown Ledge Camp as the head riding instructor for the rest of the summer. I have been walking a mile each day, but I need lots of rest. There is no way I could pull this off without lots of help. I feel like I am (finally) on the road to recovery!

Just another brick in the wall...

2007-05-25T12:02:00.000-04:00

Barb and I had a bit of a scare last week when I became sick with headaches and a low fever. I was admitted into Bennington Hospital on Tuesday and stayed there until Friday under the excellent care of Dr. Marie George and Holly Deforest RN. On Friday my team decided that I should fly by air ambulance to Baltimore where I had my surgery. Two ambulance rides and my first trip in a Lear Jet later we arrived at Johns Hopkins at 3am. They began testing me immediately, over the week I had had two CAT scans, two MRI’s and even two LP (Spinal taps). After four days at Johns Hopkins we were released and I am now on IV antibiotics for the next two weeks. Barb has done an amazing job learning how to administer the drugs, flush my IV line and overall takes great care of me. Mom and Dad have been back up in VT to help run things while Barb juggles all of the medical issues with me☺ That is all I have to report right now – I can’t thank everyone enough for the emails, cards, food and help- that we have received.

Conratulations Barb!!!!

2007-05-13T12:19:00.000-04:00

Barbara graduated from Castleton College this weekend. She has a Masters in Education and we are so proud of her! She pulled it off while raising two children, working full time at BBA, working weekends at Stratton Mountain, working as Head of Riding at Brown Ledge Camp in the summer and nursing me back to health! Way to go Barb!

Day by Day, Week by Week

2007-04-29T20:28:00.000-04:00

I am sorry to say that Barb has not had time to update the blog; she has been finishing up her Masters degree! She graduates on May 12th and she has been putting in crazy hours to put the final pieces together. She has also been taking care of me! I fear some night she will smother me with a pillow:-) I am recovering much slower than I like but I am recovering. I am walking on my own and I actually visited each of my classes last week. I am only good for an hour or two and then I am exhausted. It was so good to see my colleagues and my students. Dan DeForest, the girls softball coach, even had me throw out the first pitch of the season. Although I hit home plate (underhanded) I was better than the Mayor of Cincinnati! I am hoping to be back to running by the time we begin basketball camp. I have had great help from all my friends and I know that things will be taken care of no matter what kind of timeline my body gives me. There are too many people to thank personally, but I definitely could not get through this without a lot of help from my friends.

Bill Muench Basketball Camp 2007

2007-04-17T08:19:00.000-04:00

We are getting geared up for another great year at the Bill Muench basketball Camp. For information and application, videos, and pictures go to: http://billmuenchbasketballcamp.com/
This will be our thirteenth year!!

Pond Skim 2007

2007-04-12T16:18:00.000-04:00

I was in Baltimore when Weston (almost) skimmed across a pond of 32 degree water after skiing half way down Stratton Mt. Here is a picture of Weston in a hot tub after he landed in the water. To see the film of last year's pond skim look below:

To Baltimore and Back (again)

2007-04-11T21:45:00.000-04:00

Bill and I left for Baltimore in a snowstorm on Easter Sunday. I dropped Weston off at Stratton at 8:30 AM so he could register for the Pond Skim. The snowy weather or 32.7 degree water did not deter Weston from participating alongside his other die-hard Pond Skim friends. Taylor went to church with Mary Lee. Mary Lee was staying home with the boys while we were away. Bill and I packed the car with some clothing, the medicine bucket, and the new MRI scans for Drs. Niparko and Tamargo at Johns Hopkins. We boarded the van and slipped quietly out the driveway pointing the grill south.
I never knew when my brother, Don, and sister-in-law, Cindy, settled in Glen Rock, NJ back in 1979 that their house would become our stage coach stop between Vermont and Baltimore. We reached Don’s house and spent a wonderful night visiting with our niece, Sarah who had just received her first medical school acceptance! My oldest brother, Billy was there too so we had some good family time together ☺
Monday morning we boarded the Scooby Doo bus and continued our trek to Baltimore. Bill’s spirits were high until we ran into traffic on the Jersey turnpike….it was all I could do to keep Bill from leaping for good….traffic kills him more than brain surgery…it was a difficult 45 minutes but Bill managed to survive!
Late in the afternoon we pulled over and found a comfortable Hampton Inn. Bill’s condition attracts lots of attention so we got the best room in the building right next to the ice machine and snack machine. Bill did not feel so energetic so we decided to try a walk to get the circulation going. We found sidewalks outside of our hotel and picked a goal to walk to the big building with the PHYSICAL THERAPY sign….how appropriate, eh? We succeeded and the only disappointment was the cold. Baltimore reached a record low that day of 26 degrees….so much for driving south! At least there was no snow. After a brief rest we walked down the road to dinner to an Italian restaurant/pub. The food was good and inexpensive. We were struck by the stinky ‘smoking’ section in the restaurant. For being a liberal state, Maryland seemed behind the times on the smoking issue. We forgot how nasty smoke is.
Now I mentioned that we walked to the restaurant…I did forget to mention the double land road we had to cross to get there…no cross walk…just wide open roadway with speedsters going up and down. I told Bill to hold on tight and said, “GO!” and tried to pull him across the road….now remember he is DEAF in the left ear and I was on his left side and he thought he heard “NO!” Now it was a tug of war with headlights heading our way….it was a scary moment but we made it across in one piece…on our way back I stood on his right and we figured it out a lot better.
On Tuesday morning we woke up to the news that Donny Gray, drummer for Don’t Leave, had passed away from cancer. Bill had received a get-well card from him on Saturday. That tells you what kind of person Donny was….struggling with his own health he made sure to get a card to Bill. We were very saddened and reflective all morning. Donny was a person who pursued his passion for music and lived his life with vitality and humor.
We packed and made our way to Johns Hopkins. Bill left there as the una--bomber but returned looking more like Keith Richards…a bit haggard but walking. Dr. Niparko took one look at Bill and smiled….he told Bill how great he looked. The new scans showed no more trace of the tumor. We could not be more grateful for his expert dissection of what we learned was a massive tumor. He said that Bill had a 1 and 1000 result from the surgery. He removed Bill’s eye patch with the instruction that it must go back on when the eye is red or dry. We left Dr. Niparko for Dr. Tamargo who gave us just as encouraging news. Bill was healing slowly but surely. Dr. Tamargo reiterated that Bill’s surgery was very draining and that progress is not made in days but weeks. He believed Bill’s facial nerve would be nearly 100%! We discussed Bill’s headaches, and overall exhaustion. Dr. Tamargo reassured us that these were normal results of this type of brain surgery. He felt that Bill had done very well thus far and felt badly that Bill had suffered a set-back with his knee. He told us that Bill’s neck still had normal inflammation but that he was healing. Dr. Tamargo also told us that he had been to the fly fishing school at Orvis before. We were very excited to tell him that we live just miles away! Dr. Tamargo walked us out of the office and with a warm but firm handshake wished us well and another visit in 6 mos. All in all we were very encouraged by the report. Both doctors stressed to Bill not to overdue it but to be confident in his activity.
Bill left Johns Hopkins in the middle of March a very fragile and sick soul. He walked back in slightly shaky and exhausted but remarkably better than his March exit. Exhausted from the trip and effort throughout the day, Bill was ready to crash and get home. We left Baltimore almost as quickly as we had arrived.
Another night in NJ and home today. We spent the afternoon with Mary Lee before Uncle Bill came to whisk her away to Albany for her flight to Florida….now Mary Lee has been the backbone of Bill’s recovery. She has nurtured and cared for Bill, the boys and me. We were sad to see her go and nervous….could we do this without Clara? As Mary Lee left she said she was hanging up her Clara hat. Everything was set…Bill was doing well, the boys were trained (she is amazing with the boys…you should see their rooms, homework folder, and manners!), the house organized and Gus was calm. Mary Lee is heading back to Florida and she plans on FedExing sun and warmth when she gets there! Bill has the best mom, I have the best mother-in-law, and boys the best grandma….thank you Mary Lee for all your love and hard work.

Don't Leave says goodbye to Donny Gray

2007-04-08T10:49:00.001-04:00

The “Don’t Leave” band wants everyone to send their thoughts and prayers out to our wonderful drummer Donny Gray. He was dealing with cancer and he passed away at 5am this morning. Donny was a man who lived his life by his convictions. No matter how he felt, he never complained and he always came to play when it was showtime! The memories of Donny will last a LONG time.

April 11, 2007

BRIDGEWATER CENTER — Donald M. Gray, 56, died April 9, 2007, at home, with liver cancer.

He was born April 7, 1951, in Holyoke, Mass., and grew up in Haydenville, Mass.

Mr. Gray was a musician, comedian and was the drummer in several local bands throughout his working life. He was a registered conscientious objector, a member of ACLU and the International Association of Heat & Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers. He was a board member of Vermont Volunteers in Service to Animals and Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

Survivors include a daughter, Josie Gray of Beacon, N.Y., and his longtime companion, Donna Williamson of Bridgewater Center.

There will be a memorial service April 22 at 6pm at Sumitt Lodge in Killington.

Memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be made to Vermont Volunteers in Service to Animals, P.O. Box 100, Bridgewater, VT 05034; and Neighbors Helping Neighbors, P.O. Box 39, Bridgewater, VT 05034.

Easter Sunday -- Off to Baltimore

2007-04-08T07:58:00.000-04:00

We are off to Baltimore today with our follow up meeting with the doctors Dr. Niparko and Dr. Tamargo. I have the before and after MRI pictures and Barb will be my chauffer. We are going to her brother Don’s house today to break up the trip. My mother is at the house and she will be in charge of the boys while we are gone. I had a good day yesterday watching The Masters with lots of friends—including Dave, Rich and Lee from “Don’t Leave.”

Let’s see …what new tricks can I do??? I am walking better (still need a spotter on the steps upstairs☺. We are close to taking the patch off my eye as I am almost blinking on my own! Mom has been drilling me with facial exercises so that I don’t look and talk like Edward G. Robinson! Anyway -- off we go...I'll have Barb write the next one!

Wednesday, April 4th

2007-04-05T07:22:00.000-04:00

I think I have turned a corner. I still need a lot of rest, a plastic patch on my left eye, help walking upstairs and chopped up food at meal time BUT I did have my follow-up MRI yesterday and things look good and I hope my surgeons feel the same way. My knee has gotten much better and I have been taking laps around the house. There is officially NO WAY that I could have come this far without Mom and Barb's help every minute of the last four weeks. They have literally carried me through many of the tough times. I am also blown away by the number of calls, cards and emails! I hope that I get to thank each person personally!

Monday

2007-04-03T07:32:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,
Billy had a good day. he got up and showered, did his exercises. walked downstairs, ate a good breakfast and rested. This afternoon he went for a ride with Barb to the store and realized he was a little more tired than he thought. Everything is an effort, but he is really fighting his way to get better. His face is much more normal and his speech has improved tremendously. His eye is so close to having the patch removed. (That will be a happy day). We have scheduled the MRI
for Wed. and then we will see if Bill is up to the trip to baltimore. We do have some options. All in all, things are looking up. I will be here for a while yet. We're taking it day by day.Love,
Mom/ Mary Lee

another brick in the wall (mom adds her two-cents)

2007-03-30T09:39:00.000-04:00

Billy had quite a day yesterday. His knee began swelling to the point
of terrible discomfort. Barb called the orthopedic Dr. and set up an
apt. for 4 pm. They were taken from the waiting room immediately, but
then Bill waited in a chair for 1 hr. and 45 min. for the Dr. to
come. Some fluid was withdrawn from his knee and between the stress
of the day and the pain and discomfort, he passed out. They took him
by ambulance to the hospital which was right across the street. After an hour in the emergency room and (another) visit from Holly DeForest,
his blood pressure returned back to normal and after a series of
tests, they sent him home.

He had a restless night but is asleep on
the couch right now. When he wakes up we will try to get back into
action. Hopefully we will hear back from the Dr. today and try to
figure out what happened. Not sure how much of his therapy he can
tolerate.
Keep him in your prayers.
Love,
Mom/ Mary Lee

We're Blogging Again! Monday 3/26.

2007-03-26T12:01:00.000-04:00

When I began blogging it was to keep everybody up to date on the surgery and our stay in Baltimore. I don't know why I thought the journey was done when we walked in the door on Saint Patrick's Day. We feel like Bilbo and his friends....we were afraid to leave our Hobbit hole for the unknown...now we are facing Gollum with a bit less fear but with trepidation nonetheless. I sang alot of John Denver on the car ride home...."Country Roads, Take me Home, to the place where I (we) belong....Verrrmmmmont....mountain momma, take me home." While it wasn't pretty (Bill out of the side of his mouth, Mary Lee with a failing hearing aid battery and my God given tone deaf voice) we sang it anyway...

Bill has been resting. When he is not convalescing, he is making regular dates with our Dr. Schwartz, and Physical Therapist, Kathy Metzger. When Kathy mentioned that his scar was a biggy, Bill replied, "Chicks dig big scars." Due to his facial numbness, Bill's voice lacks inflection so his humor resembles comedian Steven Wright and I can hear myself laugh out loud....those moments seem nearly normal.
Kathy has him standing on one foot while being timed. He is able to do the task but is visibly tired at the end of PT. His neck remains a source of pain as well as his overused right jaw (the right side is doing all the talking and chewing....a bit like Popeye without the pipe). Today Peggy Mole, Kathy's partner joined the pit crew. Peggy worked on a gentle massage on the neck to help fluid drain from his lymph nodes. At the same time Kathy ultra sounded Bill's locked knee (to add insult to injury, Bill's knee locked up last night...an occassional ailment he has from floating debris left over from a 1985 knee surgery...sort of like floating space junk in his knee). If you looked in the room you would have thought Bill was living the life ....beautiful woman tending to his every need ...sort of like Ted Kozowski CEO of Tyco...remember that Toga party footage for his wife's 40th bday?....Well it wasn't exactly that much of a spa feel but Bill got much needed therapy and attention. We're just keeping our fingers crossed that Bill's knee unlocks so he can get on with his other recovery.

Bill has been comforted everyday with calls, cards, and a few visits. The cards are both inspiring and funny. Fan favorites include Rebecca's neutered dog card, Aunt Sharon's nurse card, Taylor's 4th grade class Get Well Cards and Denise Mathis' touching words....Bill also has received beautiful art work, bouquets, and food. He looks forward to the mail everyday... for the cards not the bills! In fact his new goal is to collect the mail at our mailbox (if his knee would agree to that).

We said a sad good-bye to "Pop-Pop" last Thursday. Gus, the dog, is especially sad....Tom talked to Gus like a friend. Gus is dog again since Tom left. The boys miss their trips to KFC...no chance of that from us! Weston spent the weekend with his ski buddies practicing for his future geometry class...he was talking about 360's, 540's, and the ultimate 900....oh help....Taylor spent the weekend with friends at an indoor water park. Mary Lee and I continue to check the med chart, offer pureed specials, and organize. Yesterday Mary Lee had me throwing out muppet mugs and cracked glasses....I wouldn't let her near my childhood Looney Toon grape jelly jam jars glasses. Today I discovered my mother's ivy plant in the garbage ....Mary Lee thought it was dead....it looks dead but there is still a little photosynthesis going on in there...I gently scooped the ailing ivy out, repotted it and have a new med chart for the ivy.

Bill works hard everyday to make forward progress. It seems the progress is slow. When my brother, Jim, asked me this weekend how Bill was doing. I replied, "OK, but that he was still plagued with alot of discomfort." Jim then said, "but think about a week ago..." It was right then I made a huge realization....Bill is doing well. Last weekend he was so frail and weak we thought he'd blow away at the thruway rest stop....this week he is talking about going to the mailbox and eating goulash....and that's it....he is doing well and looks forward to his energy returning and his body healing.

I'd like to make a shout out for Joe Phillip Nicholson born to neighbors and colleagues Pete and Anna (their dog Lucy is also Gus' girlfriend) last night at 11:55. Welcome Joe! We can't wait to meet the little guy....

"Pop-Pop" left today

2007-03-22T20:46:00.000-04:00

Dad headed back to Syracuse today -- thanks to more help from Rob Hunter. The boys and the animals will be very sad this weekend. Thank you so much for all the work and love you gave the family!!

After thousands of emails asking Barb to get back on the blog-- we will be hearing from her tomorrow with an update! Thanks "Pop-Pop" for holding Vermont together in our absence.

Our Journey Home....

2007-03-17T19:23:00.001-04:00

(here is a photo thanks to Bill's college buddy Jim Rock-- click to enlarge)Bill had his sutures removed on Friday. Richard, our hippy suture removerer, said the incision looked good and Bill would be able to stand in a shower and shampoo his hair in 48 hours. That was said at approximately 11:30 so we're doing the count down...16 hours to go....

We left Baltimore in a pelting rain under dark gray skies. Despite the outer example, our inner reality was sunny and happy to leave and head home. Mary Lee, Bill and I were in a bit of denial that we were driving into a horrible northeast storm. Our plan was to drive as far as Bill was comfortable...hopefully northern NJ to my brother Don's house. The rain changed from being cold and gloomy to hard and sleety in Delaware. By the time we had reached Exit 2 on the Jersey Turnpike, traffic was slowed to 35 mph and driving was treacherous. A mixture of sleet, snow, and ice blanketed the road...we saw three cars rolled off the highway in a 1/2 mile stretch. When Bill asked for a bathroom break at Exit 4 I did not hesitate to get off the road. We pulled into a Hampton Inn parking lot to discuss where we would go for our pit stop. The weather took a turn for a worse as we talked. I made a sudden executive decision....we're staying put. Let's get a room. Although it was only 3:30 it seemed the only option.

We hadn't eaten lunch yet so Mary Lee and I left Bill in bed in the room and headed by foot through the sleet and snow to Bennigans next door. We were the only patrons there and the place was decorated to the hilt for St Patty's Day. There were 12 employees to serve the two of us. We were offered $3 Maragarita drink specials. I opted for the decaf tea, and Mary Lee had a diet coke....we are party animals....! We took a meatloaf and mash potato dish back to Bill that we smooshed into a lovely puree.

When Mary Lee put her jammys on at 5:00 I realized that our late lunch was dinner too. We turned on the basketball games and burrowed ourselves in the beds. Bill had an extremely difficult time getting comfortable. His neck was (and still is) caused him continuous discomfort. The 6 plus hour surgery with his neck in a contorted position has left him with a whiplash like injury. He is also having troubles with keeping upright enough to keep his lungs clear of fluids. He spent the night trying to position his neck comfortably as well as coughing and gagging. The incessant coughing made his head hurt even more. I slept beside him wishing I could share some of that pain. Even the narcotic pain killer could not lull him to sleep. When the sun rose, Bill had barely slept a wink. We decided to get out as soon as possible and head north to Don's house where he could lay in a more comfortable bed.

The storm had dumped a substantial amount of snow in northen NJ. Don was busy shoveling and moving cars when we arrived. The sun began to shine and I could feel that we were getting closer to home. Being at Don's house gave us that air of familiarity and warmth. Bill managed an hour and a half of sleep upstairs while we visited downstairs. My niece, Emma had just arrived home the night before from Cornell for spring break. It was an oasis to be there. Everything we needed to give us the push for our final destination; rest, food, laughs, and a cat. Incidentally I thought the cat had been put to sleep months ago since all I ever heard was how sickly he was....there is nothing wrong with that cat....he has duped my brother, sister-in-law Cindy, and children into THINKING he was on his way out....his cat privileges were way over extended...he sleeps on the kitchen counter, eats cheetos, and has full run of the house...he is not allowed to meet Zevon!

With ourselves recharged we got back in the car and headed north. This time we made it except for a brief stop at a service area ironically called, New Baltimore. From there we pointed the car to Manchester and never looked back. We got home at 5:00. As we wound ourselves back in the driveway, we were greeted with a huge WELCOME HOME sign and a St Patty's Day decorated house (thanks Bob and Bev!). The kids greeted us wearing green hats with open arms. The house was also very very CLEAN thanks to several BBA elves who did such a great job I need lessons! Rebecca Halnon I hear you are a cleaning machine!

Tonight we ate a delicious lasagna (thanks Elise!). Bill is resting back in our bed. He is exhausted and his weak facial muscles belie his joy at being home. Seeing the boys was wonderful. We spent time reading get well cards and posters Weston and Taylor made for our return. They seem older than I remember...the dog, Gus, is calm and relaxed. Pop-Pop really did wonders with him and Bill is calling him the "dog whisperer" now!

Although there are days and weeks ahead that may not be easy or comfortable, Bill is relieved and excited to be back on Wideawake Rd. The next time we visit Baltimore it will be for a post surgery follow-up and a visit to the Aquarium....now that's a good reason to go to Baltimore!

What We Think Has Happened On The Homefront

2007-03-16T07:29:00.000-04:00

We talk daily to Weston and Taylor. We have had many inquiries from friends and family outside of Vermont who are wondering....how are the boys? As many of you know they are in good hands....the hands of Grandpa Tom Muench or as they call him, Pop-Pop. There were many questions and answers for him as we ran out the door a week ago Tuesday as well as commands like, "You have to buy kitty litter, puppy food and a new leash!" In addition I left the house with no paper towels and just one roll of toilet paper in each dispenser...no back-ups available... The day had arrived for our departure so quickly and Bill and I had been so busy organizing our absences at school and keeping up with the boys' busy schedules. ...I hadn't left the house in the 'order' I would have liked. But Pop-Pop seemed fine with it all and stayed strong as we drove away (we returned 5 minutes later to retrieve the address book I had left behind).

Since we've been gone Pop-Pop, my brother Don, and Weston took Taylor to Burlington for his Odyssey of the Mind. We heard that Taylor did a super job and his team finished 5th out of 16!! Go Taylor and his team! We heard that they tried to go to Al's French Fries....Pop-Pop was excited just by the title of the restaurant....Tom's (Pop-Pop) GPS system, known as Martha, took them right to Al's house...I'm sure there were french fries there too but I don't think Al wanted to serve my kids at his house! They eventually found the restuarant...I think.

Weston and Taylor tell us what is going on daily. They have enjoyed homecooked meals from BBA faculty, enjoyed dinner at Panda Garden with the Nicholsons and Hunters. (Pop-Pop had a hard time finding a meat and potato meal there...he ate the sweet and sour chicken). Pop-Pop called from the parking lot to ask if Taylor was allowed to eat something called 'won-ton' soup. Other adventures have included a trip to Rutland with the Hunters to KFC (I know Weston was thrilled!) which suited Tom's taste well. The Dublois hosted them for a night at their house. Tom and the kids had a great time. Knowing they are well fed is a comfort.

Tom has had the task of caring for the animals. Zevon, the cat, is usually licking his nose when we call. He has a regular routine for Gus, the puppy. We hear about Zevon staring down Gus and guarding the water bowl so Gus is afraid to drink. Pete Nicholson takes Gus for a daily run with his dog Lucy which keeps his growing puppy legs active and tired! Tom never mentions Ratty Cat but he doesn't like her anyway so that doesn't surprise me.

Tom has been well cared for when the boys are in school. He has had lunch with Uncle Bill, Lee Romano, friends Megan and Robin, and Bob and Bev. Brian Gawlik has served as his personal tech department so all bases have been covered, good food, good company, good technical assistance, and good news throughout! He has taken the kids to school, picked them up and followed their schedules closely. The kids are happy and having fun. They love his energy as well as his expertise when they watch basketball on the TV. Tom has a March Madness bracket going for anybody who wants to join although the dealine was yesterday. Weston was so concerned that Bill would not be able to fill out the bracket he made one for him...it will be interesting to see which one does better....Weston's or the one Bill was able to submit!

He has talked to them daily about Bill's progress. They have prayed together and celebrated too. Taylor told me that God answered all of his questions. I know that Tom helped Taylor ask those questions.

Bill and I can't wait to go home and see them. Thank you Pop-Pop for being the best grandfather :)

Clara, Florence and March Madness

2007-03-15T21:23:00.000-04:00

Hotel beds are not the same as hospital beds. I report this objectively, not subjectively. In our excitement to leave the sterility of hospital life we seemed to forget that the real world cannot replace that perfect hospital bed....the bed that conforms to your body like sand that ensconces your limbs on a seaside beach. We tried to trick Bill into thinking he was going to be comfortable. Mary Lee built a pisa of white pillows that looked OK from a distance....Bill fell into them as if he was falling into a fluffy snowbank. Unfortunately his neck was not fooled and immediately clenched its disapproval. The surgery cut into his neck muscles which will need time to heal. We worked hard stacking, re-stacking, and puffing until finally Bill just fell asleep. The sleep he was craving so was interrupted with coughing, and neck stiffness. Suddenly the hospital didn't seem so bad. Mary Lee (aka Clara) and I (aka Florence) finally made some final and desperate adjustments (forfeiting our pillows) and Bill finally was able to rest by 2 AM. I felt so badly knowing how exhausted he was but was relieved when I could hear that familiar snore.

Bill made a very full day for himself. He explored the hallway on a regular basis. Bill's walk has developed from a shuffle to a slide and now today I recognized his pidgeon toed stride come through. One of his first orders of business when he woke up was to make his picks for the March Madness bracket. We found the brackets published in USA Today. He filled them out and I typed them onto an email. He was very concerned with missing the deadline.

Bill has (for obvious reasons) not checked his email since last Thursday. He downloaded the emails and I read them to him. He was very quiet as I read each. I asked if he was OK until I realized he was concentrating on taking in each word. He just kept repeating how nice everybody was. It was impossible to reply to all of them although I scribed some emails back out. The brackets and his time on the computer were just further evidence of his recovery.

Clara and I spent the day checking our medical blogs. We missed one med by 1/2 hour, and another by an hour. Our charts obviously weren't working so we designed new ones and now we're feeling in control. Bill's not quite as certain of us....We took turns visiting the Whole Foods store around the corner for meals. We seemed to find something yummy each time we went and Bill has not complained yet.

I made a mad dash to the Inner Harbor to pick up some t-shirts we ordered last week for Weston, Taylor and Pop-Pop. The wind was blowing like crazy. I stopped at the Katyn Memorial at the end of Presidents Street. Bill and I passed it several times on our walks before he went in the hospital. It is a tall statue of golden flames with various human statues embedded in the flames. I stopped today to read the plaque. The Katyn Massacre was an event that happened during WWII when 20,000 Polish military officers were taken from POW camps in the Soviet Union (before the Soviet Union joined forces with the allies to fight the Germans) and transported to the Katyn forest in western Russia (near the Polish border). There they were tortured before being executed and buried in mass graves. The Soviet Union had wanted to eradicate the Polish intellgentsia (teachers, doctors, merchants, clergy, lawyers). Despite the atrocities, the Polish people never stopped fighting for sovereingty. The statue also memoralizes the great Polish warriors who fought against the Turks and Ottoman Empire as well as a two Poles who were instrumental in the success of the American Revolution including the build-up of artillery for George Washington and the engineer of the bastions built along the Hudson River from Saratoga north. The statue was sponsored a the polish community in Baltimore. It sits in the middle of a crosswalk. I approached with curiosity and left somber and reflective. It's amazing what you can learn if you stop for just a minute. I need to remember that even when I feel too busy to pause and read my environment.

I returned to the hotel with a hairdo that resembled a pecking from Alfred Hitchcock's movie, "The Birds." Clara and I did laundry, organized our belongings in preparation to pack, and watched the basketball games with Bill. We had some visitors come in from the front desk late in the afternoon. They brought a basket of fruit and cards from our dear friends. When we read the cards I could feel that all too familiar lump rise....not the bad kind but the one that says you've been blessed a thousand times over.

I realize that my days on the blog are numbered. Bill will be (thankfully) driving the wheel again soon. But I will remember this week not just from a hospital room but from these pages where Bill and I together have shared these days. His smile may be only half as wide, his voice not as clear and his feet not as steady but he is OK. He is here, he is positive, fun and still bigger than life.

This experience while not welcomed has changed our lives. Bill's illness has not emptied our souls but rather with the love and support of family and friends has filled them. I have a lifetime of gratitude, love, and support to give back. You have all filled us with the most important thing in life; appreciation for whats important and the knowing that we can all make a difference.

Bill is scheduled to have his sutures removed tomorrow at 11 AM and then we head north where I can put the studs on my tire back to work.

Discharge - (The Good Kind!)

2007-03-14T20:17:00.000-04:00

Bill missed me so much after I left him to sleep in the hotel that he came back with me today! That's correct, Bill.....as the una-bomber (I'll explain as I write), has been discharged!

When Mary Lee and I realized that Bill may be discharged yesterday we went to work on preparations for his entry back to the real world. Mary Lee called her sister, Sharon, who helped formulate lists; clean the car (an infection was inevitable if he even laid his head to rest on the seat!), buy applesauce, prune juice, prell, paper towels, vaseline, saran wrap, chapstick, pudding, sunglasses and....a hoody (getting the picture of the una-bomber yet?).

Operation discharge began at 9:00 AM. Mary Lee was dropped off at the hospital to be with Bill during his barium swallow test and I drove into the oblivion of the Baltimore suburbs in search of Kmart, and a car wash. I sniffed out a strip mall as I drove south on 695. I found almost everything I needed at a Target (I love Target...just wanted to say that) except.....the hoody. The hoody had very specific prerequisites...it had to have a front zipper, and a white interior hood to avoid color bleeding into Bill's incision area. Target had nothing, Dick's next door had nothing...I called Elizabeth Titus who I knew would have a good solution. She suggested looking into women's clothing since women, not men wear white. I went into a Lane Bryant and found a lovely sweatshirt that fit all the criteria. The problem was that it was 'lovely' with white piping on the pockets...I realized Bill would rather stay on the neurology floor than leave wearing a 'lovely' Lane Bryant sweatshirt. Elizabeth told me to find a Kmart and I did...bullseye...a sweatshirt with all the proper qualifications was found....and to make everything even better...it was on sale at $2.50!...the diet coke I bought with it cost almost as much. In between Target and Kmart I found a car wash and took the tan off my car to reveal a white subaru....all remnants of children and Gus have been vaccumed and removed as well!

I returned to the hospital with sunglasses and sweatshirt...ready for the get-away....only to find Bill at 1:00 PM still waiting for his swallow test. The nurse finally arrived and told Bill he seemed to swallow fine....call off the test...eat your lunch and go! Bill downed his lunch (he was not allowed to eat all day because off the pending barium swallow test). He was especially hungry since he had also been to a rigorous physical therapy session that included bouncing a basketball for 45 seconds! We pressed the call button and after a brief run through with the nurse we were ready....Bill changed into his Life is Good jammy pants, a comfy shirt and no shoes (they didn't make the list)...The hoody sweatshirt was on, and the sunglasses perched at the end of Bill's nose...where was the chair that was suppose to roll us out of the hospital? Bill was getting discouraged and frustrated...this was the last thing he needed after the longest five days of his life....that's it.... after over an hour I went to the nurse's station grabbed a lone wheely in the hall, and with the help of Danielle our favorite nurse, boarded Bill and with a brief wave we disappeared into the elevators....good-bye Meyer 817. The unabomber was offically free and pulling away at 4:30.

Mary Lee got Bill settled in his Marriott Bed at 5:00...propped on pillows, with water at his side, Bill looked more comfortable than I had seen him in days. I didn't realize how stressful being in that hospital room on a very busy hall had been. His eyes have softened and his shoulders have relaxed. I had been afraid of this next step but really the doctors were right, Bill was ready.

He has already taken a few laps up and down the hall, eaten a pork stew dinner, and re--loaded his iPod. He also has to keep an eye on his new nurses who are trying to set up medication charts...we already missed his eye lube by 20 min. We'll get the hang of it though.

Bill is truly now on the other side of this experience. He said he did not have the energy to write on the blog yet....(or should I say give a rebuttal on the ones written by me) but he will soon. Our friends continue to overhwelm us with calls, flowers, treats, and surprises.

Bill just gave a wave to the blog! He's back here with us and that is where he will stay.
He has a suture removal appointment on Friday and then with the doctor's OK all three of us will begin the journey home.....home....I just had to write that twice.