Pumpkin and Spice

I've been postponing writing this update, because it's really hard to think about. As you all know, my dad has been in the hospital since January with MRSA. I had gone up in February, after he had heart surgery, and it seemed he was slowly getting better. However, last week, he was having a lot of fluid in his lungs; the doctors cultured the fluid and found more MRSA. Since then, he has deteriorated very quickly. The doctors have started him on a steroid treatment, but at this point the outlook is very bleak.
I am, by nature, an optimist, but I am also a realist, and this is a difficult collision of the two- of reality crushing that hope that was trying so hard to shine in my heart.
I'll be traveling up to Kansas to be with my family on Wednesday for two weeks. I'll still be posting ('cause baking is good for the soul, and sharing with you guys lifts my spirits), but I can't make any promises as to the frequency of the posts.
Thank you all for your support and prayers and kind words. If you all were here, I'd give you a big hug.