Shooting Up

The veil has been lifted from the scary unknown. My worst fear was that I wouldn't even get to come home from my doctor's appointment. I thought there was some possibility they would just send me directly to the hospital., but that didn't happen. Yes, I need knee surgery soon, but I have hopefully bought a bit a time with cortisone injections in both knees. I'm hoping for a reduction in pain and an increase in mobility in a few days.

It looks like I will have the first surgery in early June. That way I will be able to attend Nichole's graduation at the end of May. The boys would be on summer vacation and home to tend to me so that I won't have to go to a skilled nursing facility. The doctor tells me I would do terribly in a SNF -- the dinner table conversation alone would do me in. The boys can cook, do laundry, do some limited cleaning, and call 911 if need be. It should be OK. I might want to have someone else here for the first couple of days, but I think we'll be OK. I'll need help with driving errands, but there are several willing folks around to help with that. I'll be making the arrangements for that surgery sometime early next week. The doctor likes a couple of months lead time.

I would have the second surgery in the early fall. The boys will be in school. Ben will be driving and could get himself to band practices and games. I will need help getting Logan to and from football games and practices and someone to stay in the house with me during the day for a couple of weeks. I'm hoping I can persuade a far-away relative or two to come stay with me for that time. Any volunteers?

This means no trip to California for me this year, but I'll be in much better shape next year, so
it's probably worth the wait. For this year, folks will have to come to Missouri to visit.

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Books I read in February:

David Copperfield -- Dickens says it is his favorite, I preferred Tale of Two Cities. I found it an interesting view of several strata of Victorian society and of Dickens life. Filled with recognizable, predictable, stereotypes, but entertaining.

The Voyager by Diana Gabaldon. I know I said I read this in January, but I was mistaken. In January, I read Gabaldon's Dragonfly in Amber and I read The Voyager in February. The same cast of characters continue to have sex, engage in bloody fights, get taken advantage of, triumph and experience all sorts of improbable coincidences. Still very entertaining and great escape reading with no other redeeming value. (That may seem faint praise, but sometimes it's what I want.)

BTW, this is my 300th post!