Dear Apollo Friends, I'm sorry to report that my back strain has kept me from full time work on this site. Please pardon my short replies to your good messages, but writing lying down is difficult and sitting up is painfully impossible. I have to stand up to eat. Yes, I'm in therapy three times a week, but a short weekend trip to visit family turned out to be a hindrance to progress. I don't know what I would do without a supportive partner, and your kind words have been deeply appreciated.

The good news in the US is that two more states, Rhode Island and Delaware, have legalized same sex marriage, and Minnesota may pass a law by this weekend allowing gays to marry there. We are fast approaching "the tipping point" on this issue. Yours, Ron