My mother is half way through her radiation treatment and not handling it well. She gets more feeble each day. On the one hand, they say the radiation will keep the cancer from coming back. On the other hand, the treatment itself is debilitating.

The boys are more or less back into the school routine. Hank is real happy about it. Skipper reminisces about the summer and the swim club.

The swim club is closed, the beaches are free, and the boys are back at school. Hank is a happy guy. "I had a real good day at school today Dad." he has said each day. Skipper is restless and cranky. We haven't figured out why yet. These things go in waves, or like a pendulum. My report a week from now may be reversed.

It was a beautiful Labor Day weekend. We finished off the real summer with a day at the swim club on Sunday and a trip to the beach today. Back to work tomorrow after a week off.

Saturday and Sunday the boys joined me for a visit to my mother's in the evening. Each early night as we returned home along Irving Avenue we noticed two "stars" on the horizon in the West. "Probably Venus and Mercury." I told the boys. But a Google search last night revealed that Venus and Jupiter are in convergence. We looked again tonight but could only find Venus (the brighter of the two). The convergence should be visible for a couple of more days and according to the NASA website the moon should also be visible in the same area tomorrow night.

As we drove along Irving looking at the convergence on Sunday, we passed the fire station. I noticed the fire engine was missing from its usual bay. "I guess they're out on a call." I said. "Probably getting Chinese food." replied Hank.