Hello on Monday Morning

Dear Friends,

Linda and I had a very pleasant day on Sunday. Linda talked to three girlfriends, two on the telephone and one in person. The one in person brought in some salads to our home for lunch. She brought in three different and delicious salads which she purchased at a restaurant right across the street from her store, The Purple Plume, in Lenox. I got the feeling that this was going to be a multiple hour talking session, so I made up my salad, and went into the family room, and watched "In the Kitchen with David", and also a portion of a preseason Red Sox Game.
Well, I guessed right about the talking, it was pretty much non stop. Linda and her friend were all talked out in a couple of hours.

I forgot to mention that the VNA nurse did come in during the mid morning to change Linda's bandage. Once again she said the healing was progressing nicely. Since this was the Russian nurse who has seen Linda the most, she was the best judge for the positive changes which she has observed.

After our friend who brought the lunch left, Linda needed some rest. She fell asleep on the couch as I was watching the show mentioned above as well as a NCAA Mens' College Basketball game. In about two minutes, she was out like a light.

She was sleeping so soundly that I quietly slipped out of the front door at 3:50 PM, and went over to the neighbor's house. We were invited for appetizers and supper. Linda did wake up shortly after I left, and she read the note which I had left her in the kitchen.
From appetizers to desserts the food at our neighbor's home was spectacular. Our friends had a brand new kitchen put in with granite counter tops as well as all new appliances. They had the hardwood floor in the kitchen resurfaced too. I knew that when Linda saw this kitchen that she would want our dated kitchen spruced up / ripped up and thrown out and replaced too.
I am sitting in our kitchen typing this email right now, and I am starting to agree with Linda. Our kitchen is nice, but it is right out of the 1985 style which was great when we moved in to our house that year.

As we were sitting at the granite three chair breakfast nook / counter top in the kitchen, our friend was busy serving us appetizers, and cooking the main meal which consisted of a stuffed chicken breast, squash, and oven roasted potatoes, and a wonderful gravy for the chicken breast. The oven started to smoke, and set off the fire alarms in their house. Neither of the hosts knew that there was a fan built into the new microwave above their gas stove. We told him what button to look for, and he turned on the exhaust fan, and fire alarms stopped. Our hosts both have engineering degrees.
We had a wonderful home made cake filled with chocolate chips. The hostess firmly believes that Chocolate is part of the daily food group of items which we are supposed to consume on a daily basis.

Do you remember my comments in previous emails about as you go through life you should surround yourself by family and friends? Our neighbors are definitely part of that close group of friends!

After dessert, Linda started to get a little tired once again so we walked 25 paces back to our own home. I proceeded to watch the Boston Bruins Hockey game in my Man Cave. I decided to watch the third period in bed. The game was tied at that point. I woke up at the end of the game. I missed the Bruins grabbing the lead and eventually winning the game. Oh Darn!

Social Calendar -- Linda has bandage changing to look forward, and then rest.
After I make her breakfast, I will be leaving the house, and heading to Springfield. My 87 year old father will be having an aneurysm fixed at the Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. My sister is with him right now, and I will meet my sister in the recovery room later on this morning. After he is released from this hospital, my father thinks that he is going home to his empty house to recover from the surgery. My sister has offered him a first floor bed in her house to stay at. I would like the doctors to ship him off to a nursing home so that he can recover under the care of a medical staff.
He won't be driving his car for a while, and he has already started thinking about how that will interfere with his morning routine, and visits to see dear old Mom in the nursing home.

Weather -- It was cool day on Sunday. I filled up the bird feeders, and I had all intention of picking up some broken branches from the trees in our yard. I was going to wash the cars in my driveway too. Not!
We should be having highs in the forties for the next few days. It looks like Thursday is the next weather event consisting of a wintry mix of snow and rain.

Linda is hoping that when she goes back to the wound clinic on Thursday, she will be so well healed that the wound clinic doctors will tell her to resume her normal activities. Linda has had no normal activities since she was operated on at the Crane Center on February 23, 2011. She has now missed over a month of her life due to what was supposed to be a simple operation. I can't imagine going through what she has gone through alone. Yes, I am aware that some of the above email recipients have gone through serious operations alone, and I really praise you for being able to do so because I don't think that I could.

Well, since I will miss lunch with Linda, I am going to fire up the crock pot, and start cooking a pork rib roast. I will prepare the other ingredients when I get home from the Springfield Hospital.

Have a great week at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad