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Friends, It's been about a week since Leah arranged for Barbara to leave the rehab center and to come home. Barbara had been so distressed in the center that week end, that Leah believed she was imminently ready to pass away . Barbara is weakening gradually; she can barely stand up; we can waltz her to the bath room, but is a challenge. She sleeps about 23 hrs a day, and when she wakes up she does recognize the care giver and will often throw a kiss or kiss the hand that caresses her brow. That is also the time when, by special request, she might eat half a bowl of coffee ice cream and bits of chocolate, and has also eaten large bites of a sub sandwich, or about half a small pizza, or a few spoonfuls of Minestrone soup, but these represent only small amounts of required nutrients. The Hospice staff contacted us and we met with the admission nurse, two visiting nurses (sharing the week), the social worker, and a C(ertified) N(urse) A(ide). We thought we had arranged for the CNA to come three mornings (maximum allowed, I guess), but she comes between 2:30 and 3::30 PM, and the visiting nurse came Monday. They are all wonderful and caring people, but we were trying to cover Barbara's care for 24 hrs. and we had assumed from previous discussions that the AM would be covered better. Sunday night we hired a CNA from 7PM to 7AM, but that did not work because it robbed me of any privacy to shower, etc. and I slept in my street clothes, and besides, that come easily to $ 1,000 per week. We are setting up a schedule where family and good friends can participate. Thus, last night Barbara Sperling came with her husband Al, and while she sat Al and I went upstairs to play duplicate bridge. When that game was over, around 9:30PM, I re-took my position as vigil. Aaron sat here for several hrs. this afternoon, doing his work with his lap top while Leah took the opportunity to get away and relax and work with the make up of Bobby Brown in the mad house of Neiman Marcus. But she'll back here to spend the day caring for her mother tomorrow morning. Michel