Thud [Cough]

The other shoe dropped, again, which gives me the opportunity to make another running-related pun.

Off I went on Friday, for another endoscopy to gauge my ulcer recovery. The innards looked fine, the anemia numbers are improving, but it turns out I was incubating a case of pneumonia.

So instead of carousing in honor of his birthday, Mike spent Friday at the hospital with me for said endoscopy; Friday night with the kids and the puppy while I tried to sleep off a fever; Saturday chauffeuring kids and canceling the sitter while the fever persisted; and Sunday sending me to the Minute Clinic and cooking a dinner that I ate in bed.

I have no experience with pneumonia, and had to quiz the doctor on duration and symptoms. The longest-lasting one? Fatigue.

I'm fatigued with fatigue.

Even though I am making outstanding progress toward my $5,000 goal, at this rate the June 5K isn't going to happen. However, my word is my bond (I think Elizabeth Dole once said that about Bob when he ran for president), so if your reason for giving was the image of me running, don't despair. I will keep my word on a new timetable, and run in the fall. The added benefit? You can imagine me training in July.

I am behind on my thank-yous, and happily, I have a quite a few to give:

Julie O'Sullivan. My sister. How does she owe me? Let me count the ways ...

Patsy Hamilton. My mother-in-law, and a devoted grandmother. But which half of her made the donation? The mother-in-law half might have ulterior motives.

Andrew and Jamie Dorman. He and I go back to high school. Enough said.

Cheryl Grant and Christine Musselman. Members of the Bunco group I've lost money to on a regular basis. Cheryl is the workout buddy of my neighbor Heather, and probably wants someone else on the business end of Heather's wine-fueled training plans.

Theresa Baxter, Teresa Crofoot, Michelle Rancourt, and Tara Wittig. Neighbors who are either really supportive, need a good laugh, or want to use me as target practice.

Karen Ramey. Fellow Domer. I thought alumni were supposed to stick together?

Christine Lucy. A friend of my sister Julie's from Georgetown. What did Julie tell her?

Seriously, TACA families appreciate your donations. Your help keeps our families moving toward recovery. Our page is still live, until June 30.