Time travel

As per previous observations, being the patient is easier than accompanying the patient.  Five hours for him was five minutes for me. 

Last time I was out before I crossed the threshold of the door.  This time I stayed awake through the hallway and into the operating room but can’t really remember what it looked like.

At one point while waiting for the action to begin (delayed by an hour) I told greathusbandbob that “somebody’s junk must have gotten stuck.”  Only later did I discover that my own uterus was large and required extra effort to remove. And while I haven’t seen them yet, she told me ahead of time that she takes pictures of what she did.  I think it creeped greathusbandbob completely out but I can’t wait!

Dinner included broth, jello, frozen orange juice, and tea.  There was also a round of acid reflux thanks to the Percocet.

I guess I’ve never read things like this because most people are just too classy to talk about it.  Anesthesia apparently makes everything slow down/pause including urinating.  Nothing like the threat of a catheter to get those muscles moving. Getting to and fro independently was the second challenge to face. Disconnect anti-blood clot leg balloons and get that machine to stop beeping.  Take off oxygen, roll IV and oximeter into the bathroom, grab the t.p. with the left hand before sitting, then reverse when complete.  Except you’ve already spilled your cup of water while maneuvering the rolly pole so you clean it up on the way out while trying to avoid getting the compression socks wet (and not wanting to call for the male nurse because your gown is barely there)

The whole pain factor is odd.  Drugs make you feel invincible until you don’t.  Then there’s about a 15-30 minute window to replenish before things feel like they’re going to roll out of control.

Institutional eggs, pancakes and a sausage link never tasted so delicious- as did the cup of coffee.  It’s now a matter of making sure my body accepts and cooperates with the food I’ve eaten.  Signs point to yes which will mean a post lunch release.

Freezer item three and tonight’s dinner

Freezer item three was a hot mess.

My intention was to make lasagne Florentine (no meat).  I accidentally ready on the oven-ready lasagne noodles to add 1/2 c liquid for every five noodles used.  That was way too much.  It ended up a watery mess.  I managed to salvage it for the freezer- left the fluid in the pan but it was definitely a disappointment.

Today I made the most favorite spinach artichoke lasagne.  It sounds healthy until you factor in the Parmesan, mozzarella, whole milk and butter.  (No wonder it tastes so good).  I’ll have this available for food until the weekend.

It’s cooling right now but it smells amazing.

My sub needed a sub today.  Fortunately I left sub-sub plans.  If I read the paperwork correctly, no one picked up the job. And I don’t even care.  I’m on anti-maternity leave.

The hospital just called.  Report time is 10:0 am.  Surgery is at noon. Goodbye ovaries.  I shall not miss you.

Freezer item two

Potato lentil soup.  Similar to the chili but I’m guessing a little heartier.

Italian spices added.   Ton recipes suggest squeezing some lemon on it when it’s served.  Apparently the acid brings out the flavor.  Although I’m not sure how much flavor there can be in potatoes and lentils.

Freezer item one

Black bean, quinoa, and lentil chili.  Added bonus- it’s a crockpot recipe found here. Minimal work involved. Chopping carrots, a pepper and an onion, rinsing cans of beans and corn. Sautéing vegetables for a bit.

I’m usually not a fan of crockpot recipes.  Ones using meat in the past have always had that same mushy taste in common.  I do, however have high hopes for the bean/lentil/quinoa combination.  Fingers crossed.

Art and technology.

Tonight’s art is brought to you by Pinterest and giraffes.  There was a simple how to draw a giraffe tutorial using shapes.  I need to think more about anatomy but I’m not there yet.  What I’m happiest with are the leafy trees - different shades of green separated with thin black ink which was from my own brain.  Otherwise it looks like giraffe has been hitting his quads a little too much at the gym.

This evening greathusbandbob and I learned about and tried Facebook FaceTime and I used the filters.  I accidentally took a picture of them while trying to hang up.  Maybe I’ll use this as my post-op picture for anyone who is worried..

Tomorrow is a get things ready for next week kind of day.  I’m going to make some meals to freeze-  spinach artichoke lasagne, potato lentil soup, and lentil quinoa chili. 

More art- I feel like since that one isn’t awesome I am free to do more.  It’s only when I love how one turns out that I don’t want to art again because I don’t want the next one to suck.  Granddaughter Lily is traveling and shared these cacti that I will use as tomorrow’s muse.

Speaking of muses.  I’ve been listening to Edith Hamilton’s book, Mythology.  Once you immerse yourself in the stories, the carry on with you.  Yesterday greathusbandbob remarked about someone getting a message to someone else and I almost said “not even Hermès could communicate that...”. I’m nearing the end of the book Song of Achilles as well (reading not listening.).   Maybe there will be some mythic art.  Jim Carey’s work with markers also inspires.  Must go look at more.

Round 2

Here we go round the (frozen) mulberry bush so earlye in the morning.

Why yes, it is 17 degrees outside.

In case you hadn’t heard WV teachers are striking again.

The legislature, Koch brothers, and Alex organization have conspired to turn WV into Betsy DeVos’ dream state o for profit public education.  That’s the simplest way I can describe it.  If you’re looking for details, google WV senate bill 451.  Damn, I should have written “burn 451” on my sign.

It’s already been a month with not much school and as of Monday I was going to be off anyway.  Never a dull moment.

more art

A dog snoot to boot and silhouettes of trees in winter.  Both not amazing but still making art.

nowhere else can I share this

I bought this bag for myself and Drjustineknitnight.  I love it's delicacy as well as it's to the pointness.
I'm also searching for another for my favorite pirate teacher at school

If you look at the ring on my pinkie you'll see similar art.

The sentiment stamped on the back of this ring reads "this too shall pass."  A more positive but less hilarious sentiment. 

Today at the end of the high school class, the would be but not hard core party boy that much to my surprise, did a 180° in my favor at the beginning of the year.  At the end of class today (where I cheered for him completing assignments) he showed me his new key chain (it spelled out the sentiment on the bag a little clearer - ended with a "you".")

At first I thought he was directing it at me in response to making him work.  Then I realized he thought I would think it was hilarious (meh).  So I told him about my knitting bag, showed him my ring, laughed and said "back at you baby."

In other return to school for two weeks news-

The twin with the darker (I'm going to say depressed) countenance rarely shows emotion.  She's either angry or sad or despondent.  Sometimes her inner happier self can be cajoled out- maybe 3 out of 5 days in a given week.  I love her either way.  Her happier (medicated) twin has always been glad to see me, friendly and positive.

The darker sister saw me in the hallway before class, ran to me and gave me a crazy huge hug.  I returned it but wasn't startled because I thought it was the happy one who regularly greets me.  Once I saw them together I realized otherwise.  This is a senior streetwise girl-wary of any emotion but anger.  It is a moment I want to remember forever. It is a profound source of joy in my working life.

And it was the best part of the day until the last class which was kindergarten.  With the same sincerity and unabashed enthusiasm nearly half of the class (risking the possibility of  correction for breaking the rules) ran to me with hugs aplenty declaring how much they missed me.

Colleagues, of course, welcomed me but I always feel like that's obligatory.  Those kids, though.

I won't mention the first grader who, after I said I'd be back for two weeks and then gone again replied "good." 

make art every day.

Zentangles and markers are the art of the day. Ideas come from elsewhere but all are hand drawn.

Surgery is on the 27th.  I am going back to school for two weeks.  

This really is a knitting blog.

Another Blue Dog

Time for some more dog art-  more pleased with the shape- less pleased with the color.  I didn't take as much time.

This will be my costume for tonight's state of the union.

Had the meeting with the surgeon this afternoon.  Still don't have a date.  I'm also essentially on "standby" in case there are any cancellations.  I am not going back to work until it's done.  As greathusbandbob said, what are they going to do? Fire me?  Also if this senate bill passes, we'll be on strike anyway.

So to take everything out they make 4 small cuts (near the attaching points of the stuff inside).  They disconnect it through those four cuts and once it's loose, they pull it out the vagina.  She told me that and I immediately said "THAT'S SO COOL!"  Science is crazy.

Playing with markers

If I do one a day, maybe I will get better.  I've always loved markers.

Sometimes too much stress equals no stress

When the list of things to worry about gets overwhelming, they cancel each other out.

After a phone call last Friday I found out that tomorrow is just a consult- not the actual surgery.  Having already made all the plans for missing school and taking care of cousin and aunt, this news was most distressing.  An email to my doctor reassured me that the surgery can be scheduled quickly after the consult with the surgeon (she says they are flexible that way) so I'm hoping things roll according to some sort of manageable plan.

Although they likely won't because greathusbandbob's latest scan revealed a spot on his lungs as larger than before- not horrible but worthy of a biopsy.  In the last month he has lost two acquaintances to lung cancer so yet another opportunity to panic.  He is scheduled for this on Wednesday so it seems fate intervened when the surgery date was wrong but I was still off from school.

Aunt is still in rehab with major complaints of the food and minimal complaints of our "only weekly" visits.  Except she thinks we haven't been there in four weeks because she has lost complete track of time in general.  It seems that extended stays in hospitals and UTI infections will do that.

I walked my non-music teacher (she is a former pre-k teacher) sub through the routines this morning. She looked more than a little overwhelmed- especially with her two young children begging to teach her how to play the instruments.

I tried to feel guilty about having days off when I am not surgically impaired but that hat didn't fit either.  Women take weeks off to have a baby all the time.  Having never done that, I have enough days and the pile of stress is high enough to warrant some days off. I'm calling it a sabbatical.

Except if the WV senate passes its omnibus education bill turning everything into charter schools we will likely have another work stoppage, so there's that.  The politicians are seeking revenge on the teachers for our power move last year. It's quite ugly.  The big threat this time is no pay if there is a work stoppage (an actual strike). Which, I guess is better than the threat Oklahoma state legislatures made which is to revoke the license of any teacher who participates in a work stoppage.

At some point, there's just too much to worry about and no use in doing so anyway. Woman cannot live on xanax alone.  So there is coloring.

and waiting to do.