There is nothing like having a network of friends, is there?

Tonight after dinner, I tripped over my son's baby gate (needed because he gets into the cat food in our kitchen now that he's crawling) and did … something … to my knee.  I'm sure I didn't break it, but it's throbbing and stiff.  

Steve is on duty tonight and when it happened, he was two hours from coming home.  

Sadly, baby Mickey did not understand why Mommy was crying and upset, so he cried too.  (Actually, he crawled over to me, hugged me, put his head on my shoulder and then cried too.  Bless him.)

So I called a friend, D, who lives down the street.  Her husband is just getting out of the Navy and Brenna when to kindergarten with her son.  We've struck up a 'little bit more than acquaintence'.  The kids have had play dates, and I've asked her to babysit a couple of times.  

Tonight, she came over and while I'm sitting her with an ice pack on my knee, she watched Mickey, offered to do the dishes and did them even though I told her she didn't have to, gave Mickey a bath, and kept him from self-destructing while we waited for Steve to come home.  

On her way out, she said she'd call in the morning to see how I'm doing.  

'Thank you' doesn't quite cover it.