Former Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) is now talking to his family and hospital workers after suffering a stroke last week.

“I am not out of the woods yet but I can see the tree line,— Burns said Monday night in a statement released by his family.

Earlier Monday, doctors overseeing Burns at Georgetown University Hospital upgraded his condition from critical to serious.

Burns, 74, is “still dealing with the longer-term effects of the stroke, but they have been improving continually. He still has his sense of humor and is already spinning yarns and pulling pranks on the nurses,— Burns’ son Garrett said.

Burns was found “disoriented— by his wife at his computer last Wednesday night in their home in Arlington, Va., at which point he was taken to the hospital. The two are still on track to sell their home and move back to Billings, Mont., before Christmas, according to his family’s statement.