Update

Hey there....I'm still amongst the living.  A lot of crazy crap has been going on here. The biggest news is that my father-in-law has had what appears to be a stroke. He spent some time in the hospital and has since been transferred to a rehab/nursing home type set-up. He is weak and sometimes gets very confused. He has aphasia which is when you get your words mixed up. You try to form sentences and the wrong words come out. He is a very smart man and the frustration shows on his face when this happens. He is pretty good about recognizing everyone, although when we first saw him in the hospital he called me "Willy Boy". Someone from way back in his past. Although when i went over Saturday, he recognized me right off. He needs help with his utensils and his right arm, weakened by the stroke, keeps falling by his side and smacking against the wheelchair. This has been very hard on everyone. It is so very hard to see someone you love suffer like this. I got a little shaken when I first saw him in the nursing home. I have only known him for 9 years but I know everything the man has done throughout his life and to see him like this is disheartening. It made me think of my own father when he was dying of cancer. My Dad was a many of many skills and a very hard worker. He enjoyed riding his bicycle and joind a club and did many 'century' rides and he even cycled through the wine country of France. He, like my father-in-law always worked very hard, sometimes working two jobs, to provide for his family and did almost every home-repair that needed doing himself. When the cancer hit him the hardest, he was bedridden and helpless. 

I'm hoping my FIL makes a quick recovery and come home to his own home soon. It will be good to see him back in his chair by the fireplace.