Hey, you're the good lookin' one!

Howard has moved into his new room in the Kohler building at OHSU.  With the new room, he seems to spend more time awake, happy to chat with nurses and family.  He still has a natural eye for beauty, just like he did years ago when he'd see the Miss America candidates on TV, pick the winner and go to bed.  We'd watch the whole pageant and the winner always turned out to be the one he picked!  So today, when a cute little nurse walked in, he pointed at her and said, "Hey, you're the good lookin' one!"  

Howard is keeping us all entertained with snippets that appear to be from the past and moments of clarity in the present now and then. We were kept laughing for several hours Saturday with jewels like this:  twice he looked right at us and said "Kenny, I need you to help me" (Kenny, of course, was laying sod at his house in Seattle and was nowhere near the hospital); we had a ball game on tv and Howard said "now just how much is ol' Cal making this year?" (we think he was referring to Cal Ripken Jr., who retired six years ago and wasn't being shown on tv. At least he got the sport and the issue right!); his new hospital room is "an uptown place"; and when we were encouraging him to say his wife's name he smiled and said "she's a mighty fine woman" (which, of course, she is!).  He laughed, giggled, and made countless other mannerisms which encourage us to believe that he's really on the way back! We can't wait for today's visit!