It's been an interesting few months. . .

Well, it sure has been an interesting time to live in my house. In late November, my 16 year old granddaughter decided she would rather live with Jack and me that with her mom. After much brou-ha-ha, Anna will move in with us January 20. Jack & I will be her legal guardians and we will have a teenager in the house once again.

On December 11, I had plastic surgery to reduce the size of my upper arms. I had a gastric bypass two years ago to get my weight and especially my diabetes, in control. I lost about 80 pounds and no longer require insulin injections. However the excess skin on my arms was intolerable and I decided to have it "whacked". I didn't think it would be too awful, having been told by an acquaintance that it hadn't bothered her very much at all. Hah. Thank God my husband was here, 'cause I would have to have gone to a nursing home for care. Ace wraps on both arms, and all around my chest. I have at least 18 inch incisions on each arm which are still sore and stiff. I have sutures still working through my skin that don't want to be pulled out. Shudder. . . Hopefully I will be able to get back to work on Feb. 1st. I'm broke!

Of course Christmas came right along on time. I was smart, tho, and had the tree up, the shopping completed and all the packages wrapped and mailed before the surgery. Just as well since I was not my old self so soon after the Mass General experience. Needless to say, my daughter is not speaking to me any longer, my son is in Tampa, my parents are both gone to Glory, so there was only me, Jack and Anna for the Christmas festivities. It was kind of lonesome.

Jack's mother had her 90th birthday on January 7, so we flew down to Virginia to help her celebrate this great occasion. We stayed at Jack's sister's house in Oakton, VA which is easily the size of an elementary school. We spent three days there and then back home. You know, we flew on jetBlue and I was mightily impressed. They left right on the dot, arrived early and then repeated it all over again on the way home. There's lots of leg room, great TV and music, and you get to have more than one package of snacks if you want!

Anyway, now I just have to deal with another surgeon's appt., moving Anna, the court hearing re legal guardianship, and finally my job. If you look in the dictionary under the word "stress", you will find my photograph.

Photos are of my preoperative state, the view from the upstairs landing at my sis-in-law's house, and our little fiberoptic Christmas tree. Oh yes, also a photo of our deck on December 21. The huge white lump is the gas grill. You bring the hot dogs and we'll provide the ice. Sigh. . .
(Pictures will be posted as soon as blogger gets its act together. . )