"not at all, not at all," said the woman to the man. "I was thinking of an unrelated thing"

Signs that I should probably communicate with the people in my homestead more often:

ME: (Upon arriving home Sunday afternoon) Where's the dog?
DAD: She's out. (beat) You heard she's got lupus, right?
ME: (Sound of heart stopping, accompanied by look of indiscriminate shock)
DAD: I mean, its OK, its localized.
ME: (Breathing resumes; still wearing a horrified expression)
DAD: Apparently there's some form of the disorder that stays in one place. She's on all kinds of medication now, but she's fine.

My family's poor dog has long had something weird going on with her nose. Its been alternately dry or discolored since shortly after she grew out of being an adorably tiny puppy. Apparently since I last had a good long talk with anyone at home in CT, she was diagnosed with a localized auto immune disorder. She even has to wear doggie sunscreen on her snout come summertime.