(The word this afternoon from Susan Toth Ellison, his wife since the 80s:)
SUSAN ELLISON - Sunday, October 12 2014 14:40:3
FROM SUSAN
I will make this brief. A couple of days ago Harlan had a stroke. He's in the hospital. His right side is paralyzed.
He's comfortable--as possible. We will keep you up-to-date with his progress.
With all kindness --Susan"
I know full recovery is possible; I have to hope it happens here. Considering how much Harlan Ellison has lived through, I want to think he has a hell of a chance.
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That's where my mind is at the moment. Before that, I was having a pretty good day: I visited my mom, her younger sister Aunt Nancy Weare, and my cousin Steph and Steph's daughter Eloisa. We went to lunch at the original location of Nicholas's, a Lebanese place we've loved since the 1990s, and returned to Steph's home for early birthday presents for Eloisa. (Steph's husband Paul works as a nurse, and was working at the hospital today.) Eloisa and I also got to watch a slug: it was in a planter in front of her house, and we wondered how far it would get while we had lunch. It was nowhere to be found by the time we got back. Slow and steady wins THAT race.
****
Heck, I'd say it's been a good weekend overall. I visited (and entertainingly kvetched) with friends at a bar Friday night; the weather has been comfortable in its transitional, summer-to-fall way; and I got to a theater Saturday and finally saw Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on a big screen. It had been the only Indy film I'd never seen in a theater, and that includes seeing Raiders In first release when I was 7. As ugly and dark as much of that film is, Temple of Doom had me pretty consistently grinning.
I even got to show the Belmont Goats and their new shelter to Mom and Aunt Nancy as they drove me back to my place.