Punctuation

I went home over spring break to stay with dad while he was in the hospital for surgery. But he was in the Veterans Administration hospital system, so the diagnosing hospital forgot to send the orders to the surgical hospital, so I was there a week early. Since I already bought the ticket I spent a week with dad outside of hospitals.

We had lots of great time to talk. We went to the Vicksburg Battlefield National Park with by brother. I saw the restored ironclad warship, Cairo (pronounce KAY Ro). It looks like a neat little model in the picture. It was wonderful to walk around inside, getting a feel for how it would have been to work on one.

We also went to Colfax, Louisiana, sight of the Colfax Massacre, the most violent episode during Reconstruction. 150 to 250 blacks were killed, along with three whites, during a contested election in 1873. The citizens of Colfax erected a marker dedicated to the three whites "who fell in the Colfax Riot fighting for white supremacy." Stupidity and hate is great fodder for stories.

The week after I left, dad had his operation. Where his : was, now he has a ;

At this date, he is home, eating solid food, after spending around two weeks recovering. He is my hero. I feel blessed that he is doing well.