“There are only two seasons -- winter and Baseball.”

That's a quote from Bill Veeck, former owner of the Pale Hose, and a good way to set the stage for this long overdue posting. It's been a long winter, but pitchers and catchers reported a while ago and now the full squads are getting down to business. The Sox are back in the news, the days are getting longer and spring is right around the corner. Hallelujah.

Winter was a little tough for us - after such an intense 4 months with Tim in Spaulding, it's been difficult settling into a new routine. Outpatient life is a little bit slower, and frankly that was a hard adjustment for me and Amy. Tim however, is doing very well with it. Although winter conditions have not allowed him to lead the active life he enjoyed from July through November, he has settled into a quiet life at the hotel. He still gets regular lunch visits on Thursday from Grandma and Grandpa (Tony and Allott tagged along last week). Amy generally drives him out to Boston each Monday and then spends the night with him on the pull out sofa. After hanging around with him for a bit on Tuesdays, she heads home. Fridays are "out and back" to get Tim home for the weekend.

What we've both discovered is how much of our lives we'd pushed aside during the previous four months - at home, at work and in the community. We're still working to get everything back in place and it's been exhausting. Tim keeps plugging along, but at a slower pace. He is showing progress on the Locomat; the left side platform of his walker has been removed, indicating improved balance; his left triceps is showing increased strength; and his right leg brace has been reduced in size.

When Tim is home, we enjoy quiet times together, mostly watching movies and talking. Sometimes he'll tag along with Amy on shopping excursions. He's had a few visitors - Travis, Stefan, Deleah, assorted aunts, uncles, cousins and others have provided some enjoyable times for Tim. We watched the Super Bowl with family at the Williams, Amy has taken him to the new town hall for a look around, as well as a spin around the gym with his walker and the Pattersons have had us over for afternoon tea in East Stockbridge. Last week, Tim and Amy worked together to create a custom brace for his right leg, using a bunch of elasticized braces, Velcro and other materials - a successful project that gave Tim added flection on his right side, helping him to pick up his right foot and move it forward.

"The Van" has been retrofitted (after a few road trips to Hartford for Amy and me) and Tim is now in the process of setting up driving lessons which will lead to a special license and eventually a new level of independence. He is getting more thoughtful about possible college options, but one day at a time .....

Thanks to everyone who has pestered me to get back in a routine with the blog - I'll try to keep it current. We're all happy that so many of you want to keep up with Tim's progress. Soon, I'll get something up here about Jancy. For now, just a couple of hints about her experience - "no modern plumbing."

Until next time .......