Hello all!!!! I am great! Thanks for checking. You may from time to time hear me say this was the best thing that ever happened to me- I believe that. I am alive and and I am loved and I am healthy and I’m working to earn all of that! I weighed in at the gym yesterday- 201!

I really am caught up in a sense of joy! Kim cam over with Kira on Wednesday (and Kira didn’t freak out at my zipperhead!). I feel wonderful, and I am so well cared for. If there’s such a thing as survivor’s guilt (and there is because I felt it) then I must have survivor’s joy. It took this event to wake me up to the fact that the universe really does unfold as it should, especially when we can see it. Now I see it better.

Cori is my angel- she’s so fiercely loving and protective. I can hardly believe the blessing of that…. She loves me and lets me know it. Thank God and thank you Bobbi for sending angels, and thank you 14,000 years of ancestors.

I’m going to the gym again. I’ve been working out (walking mostly- it’s all they’ll let me do for now) every day. It sure helps. I feel great! Every day I wake up more “myself”…. I was so afraid that wasn’t going to happen.

I get my staples out on Monday. I have a lot of appointments next week in Asheville, so I asked Cori if we could stay at her house for a few days rather than ride around  commuting. Bouncing around in the car hurts my head a little. It will be goog to get these 37 staples out! Dr. Lytle is my hero, and so are all the nurses and PAs there in Asheville. So are all of you who prayed so much for me. I believe you all helped save me, now I need to earn the honor of the love I have been shown. My life is now.

I’ll keep you posted.

If love was water I’ve been hit with a firehose- that’s what it feels like.  I am doing great! Thank you all so much for your prayers- I believe they help as much as anything. You don’t need to wonder if I’m being taken care of- I am adored and in the arms of love constantly.

I’m feeling better- I have a weird Cone Head thing going on- my scar is off-centered, so the swelling is to the side now. It’s easier to see now that my whole head is less swollen. It’s sort of like I have a fuzzy cap on the right side of my forehead. The biggest side effect is from the effects of the general anesthesia- it’s made me a little slow-witted (I feel).  Of course, the swollen brain is probably part of that, but I choose to think that part will be healed with time (as well as the rest of it).

Yesterday I picked up a guitar for the first time. I guess there were many things I was afraid of- that I’d look in the mirror and not recognize who was looking back, that I wouldn’t remember the faces of loved one’s (or they wouldn’t recognize me), that I wouldn’t feel like myself. Yesterday I picked up a guitar and played it- the tears flowed as they are now. It just felt right. Such a relief, I can’t hardly say.

It’s such a joy to be home! Into the arms of those who love me, I rejoice every moment for the blessing. Bless you all. May we all feel the firehose of love (there’s gotta be a song in there) while have the awareness to appreciate it. Peace, Y’all. I’ll keep you posted.

By the grace of God and the love of family I have made it home. My friend Cori brought me home . What a day! I can’t begin to express the dpeth of the emotions that have saturated me today. I hope you can understand…… It is joyous to be out of that hellish place. Hellish may be the wrong word, but when you’fraid you may not leave it’s nthe right word. Of course all the staff were wonderful and caring.

Well, I had a CT Scan at 4am and it was fine so I got my brain drain taken out this morning. They’re letting me out of ICU this morning and into a regular room. I feel much better and the pain is almost gone. I’m pretty pampered and Sean brought me some hot sauce so food is more palatable, especially those powdered eggs. I have an ugly head now- the scar is pretty gross (to me) but also a thing  of beauty- Ygor’s escape hatch. No pictures for now- it’s to gross even for me. I’ve just been told I have orders to go to a regular room!

I’m under a lot of scrutiny to make I’m going to behave. Most of you know me, and know I run with scissors. As you can tell I’m tollerating using computer pretty well, better than they thought I might…I guess because no brain tissue was invloved in the surgery. Another blessing.

Hey, I’m fine! My Dr. told me they got it all  and it was very benign.  I should be out of ICU by tomorrow, and released from the hospital by Tuesday. I’ve been showered with love since I got here and I know how fortunate I am. Thank you all for your prayers. I have an especially big thanks for my scouting family including Dr. Loomis who assisted with my surgery and my brothers Sam and David who spent three day cleaning my house and yard.

I have a tube in my brain to drain blood and CSF for the surgery site. I’ll have a CT Scan at 4am in time for the results to be read by my neurosurgeon who will then decide if I can be moved out of the NeuroTrauma ICU. They have been very good to me here, especially the ICU nurses ans my own Doctor. We both agreed that if you were going to have a tumor mine was  mine was the kind to have.

I’m very blessed and what’s more- I know it. This is a gift I’ve been given and I know it.

provided via Cherie Rose

update 1: 11:59AM

I just talked to Hugh.  He is doing fantastic.  He was in a lot of pain but they have it under control now.  He is still in ICU and sounds a little tired, but doing well.  He can come home on Tuesday if everything goes well,  and his tumor is benign, YAYYYYYYY!!!!!   His brothers are up at his today doing the yard work.  He did want a large black piece of plastic put on his garden to bake the weeds.

provided via Lloyd Arneach(jr)

update 1: 12:12pm

Just talked to Sam, Hugh’s brother, and Hugh is out of surgery and will be in ICU for a period. At this point, the surgery was a success and he should be able to return home by Monday, maybe a little sooner if he’s a good boy. Updates on visitation will come later.

Update 2: 3:56pm

Hugh is still in recovery, they’re waiting to get him a bed in ICU which may occur later this evening. He is pretty well drugged up right now and they’re not even letting his brothers in to see him so they will return tomorrow and check on him. As far as visitation, it’s a wait and see how things go at this point. As soon as I know something I will pass it on.

It’s nearly midnight, and I can’t sleep. Small wonder, right? Still, I’ll try. I did have a dilemma when choosing what to pack. Maybe you see my problem. Ah well. I’ve taken my super-sterile shower and I’m off to bed. The house is looking good!

Wednesday is probably not a good day to visit. In case you’re there anyway, here’s the rules for visiting the Memorial Mission ICU:

ICU Rules

 Here’s a link to the Memorial Mission hospital web page- HERE.

By this time tomorrow I will be out of surgery and recovering. All things considered, I’m relatively calm…… relatively. I’m tidying up the house, doing laundry and packing. I’m grateful to all the well-wishes I am receiving. Thank you all. No matter what, I am still the richest man I know.

Dear Kim and the kids will be by this evening….. It’s the first time in 14 months she’s visited. I know how she feels. It’s hard for me not to think of this as Bobbi’s house, though Bobbi would have never made such a mess! LOL-  that’s how you know it’s my house now. Ah well, I think she’d mostly like the remodelling I’m doing. I’m okay with “mostly”. Brother Sam will be here soon, and David also. Sam was just demobilized from a big forest fire in Tenn. near Knoxville. They will take me to the Hospital tomorrow, and we’ll leave at 3:30am. Might as well go sooner- I doubt I’ll be able to sleep.

Friend Dennis spent the morning here trying to help….. I’m afraid I was a little too fuddled to give directions…heck, I hardly know what I want myself. Well, I want the foolishness over. Anyway, I’m going to have 6 or 8 weeks to tidy up. Mostly I keep repeating the prayer for healing.

That’s it for now. I’ll post again later I reckon. I’ll try to make arrangements for someone to update the page. One way or another, I’ll keep you posted.

Thy name is my healing, O my God,
and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. 
Nearness to Thee is my hope, and love for
Thee is my companion.  Thy mercy to me
is my healing and my succor in both this
world and the world to come.  Thou, verily,
art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing,
the All-Wise.

Bahá’u’lláh