The dust is settling after a busy week for the Joe Rank family. On Thursday, Feb. 26, Linda had emergency surgery for a ruptured ovarian cyst. They sent her home on Friday and I spent from Friday 'till Tuesday in Austin doing the grandma thing of tending the flock while Linda recovered. Linda is bouncing bask beautifully. She'll be off from work all week, Doctor's orders, and she cannot drive, so Joe is doing full time chauffer duty. She should be able to return to work Monday.

Feb. 29th was actually the 4 year old twins' "first" birthday. They received their first two wheelers, with helmets and training wheels, and we celebrated on Sunday. One neighbor remarked that the side walks aren't safe with the Rank twins on two wheelers.

While I was there, we ordered Joe's special neck support from England, and the Joe Rank ALS fund picked up the tab. It should go a long way towards alleviating his fatigue and discomfort in the neck and shoulder area.

I had the pleasure of sitting in while Cole practiced his bass with his dad coaching - Cole is becoming very proficient on the bass and has been moved to a more advanced level at the UT String Project. Cole also seems to be very protective of his dad, particularly as speech becomes more difficult for Joe.

Hannah's just Hannah - smiling, chattering and socializing her way through life. She seems to take everything in stride and just keeps bouncing. Hannah's my role model.