Dad's pretty stabilized right now. Mom took him to McHyde after he became extremely ill. No one knew the cause and it's still unclear though we are getting ideas. He doesn't like me to discuss his health so I will just update on his condition- right now, okay, and they will test more tomorrow. Needs to leave that hospital and go to Christ. My faith in McHyde erodes after every mistake they make and I'm afraid they'll make one with him, too. Anyhoo, Dad is OK for the moment though he's been in a lot of discomfort.

Read "The Road" by Cormack MacArthey. His imagery is astounding. It's quite a read about a post-nuclear world devoid of all life except a few scattered survivors. A jaded widower and his angelic, emaciated son (reminded me of the Little Prince) pushing a shopping cart full of worldly possessions to a southern U.S. beach, for some Godot-like purpose. Nuclear (or post-meteor, since there really is no specific description of the cause of the global destruction save that it happened at 1:17 p.m.)winter, the remaining zombie-like people surviving on canned rations scavenged from pillaged homes and stores, endless cold, the sun occluded by ash and a shroud-like haze, unthinkable atrocities. Two disturbingly horrific incidents, the second even more so than the first. The insistent faith and innocence of a small boy.

Since there have been incidents in humanity that have reduced humankind to its most depraved form, and still people don't resort to some of the deeds mentioned, indeed preferring to band together, and some preferring death over survival such as theirs, I don't think it describes perfectly well the human condition were such an event to happen. The imagery used, though, will posit this author among this generation's best.