Metamorphosis

  It's the end of April and May awaits with everything I've been waiting for.  April showers bring May flowers, so it's only fitting my Opuntia is blooming.  This is a new one for me and supposedly it starts out pink and then fades to white.   It's called Pina Colada and I'm including it in todays blog since I'm still on liquid diet and wish I could have one....pina colada that is. The day started at 6:00am with a walk with George. I don't know why but I have a burst of energy today. Later we sat on the deck and I worked on finishing my card holders to sell at craft shows next fall. I went to lunch with Left Brain and enjoyed my strawberry banana protein shake while he dined on au gratin potatoes and ham with carrots. It was good to socialize with people. Took my nap to make sure I had energy to attend the pool party at 6:00.  The band was set up in the pergola and everybody hung around poolside or in the water floating and visiting. It was a lot of fun to ...

One of things I wanted to do prior to surgery was get a very short haircut. This will make it easier to care for while I recover. My friend Mitch is going to get hers cut and I tagged along as sometime it's hard to find a stylist who is willing to cut it as short as I'm wanting. This will be nice as I wait for my one month checkup here in Arizona where the temperatures will be ramping up day by day. I wasn't worried about going that short as I had it cut that way while preparing for my black belt. And it's hair, it grows again. I spent the morning pounding knives into the ground to act as plant markers so the guys that spray don't kill them. After that I gave the new plants a good soaking. By this time I'm schvitzing (sweating for you non Yiddish speakers) and it was nice to have all that hair gone. Then I hauled out a bunch of winter things out to the shed that should (hopefully) be too large when I return in October. It's hard to imagine that at this time ...

I have been overly blessed with good people all around me that show they care and are with me on my journey. Many are right here in the resort where I live, others are in the campground where I summer. Some are friends from long ago and some are newer friends that I've met along the way. There are those I'm related to by blood, marriage or simply having taken them into my tribe.  It's important to gather good people in your life. One week from today I'll be packing my bag for the hospital and trying to sleep with the excitement of it all.

  I'm trying to find something positive about the liquid diet. The one thing that comes to mind is not having to worry about what's for lunch or supper.  Left Brain has been pretty much turned loose on his own to forage for sustenance.  Also, it makes it much easier logging all the food intake. I love watermelon and really wish this recipe was approved for right now. I mean, watermelon is mostly liquid, right? Oh yeah, no alcohol for a year after surgery...forgot about that part. Today marks my halfway point through the liquid diet and the goal seems even more reachable. There's something to be thankful for! I went shopping this afternoon at the thrift stores. Bought a bunch of table knives to use as plant markers so the guys don't confuse them with weeds and spray them. Found some nice ice cube trays with lids to use for freezing small amounts of food. I found a suggestion to put marinara sauce, putting a little oil with herbs, and tiny amounts of pureed food. It doesn...

I received a card in the mail from a group of classmates from high school all wishing me well as I pursue this goal. I'm sure they had no way of knowing that James Christensen is one of my favorite artists.  His images trigger our imaginations as to what might be possible in our fantasies. That's something I can really relate to right now.   My cousin Jean is part of this group and she is an artist and we have so many similar qualities that I have to believe she may be the one who picked the card. These are women I have not seen for many years and it warmed me to know they are still there and care about me. I'm so grateful for the support system that I have while on this journey both near and far away. Left Brain and I went to see the movie "Escape from Germany". It's the first time in my memory I've been to a movie without getting popcorn. I encouraged him to get some and it didn't bother me at all that he was eating next to me.  I had smuggled in a s...

  To me, one of the most interesting parts of this journey are finding out all the women I know that have also taken this route. It feels good to be in such good company!  It's kind of like the bariatric "me too" movement.  I guess it shouldn't be surprising since this surgery started in 1990. Maybe I need to start a Bariatric Buddy Group to get together and share recipes. This is the plus of living in a 55+ resort. There's so many amenities and activities to take part in, even in the off-season. Many of the snowbirds have left but about one third of our resort has people living here full-time. You can find someone to visit with at any moment. It's so different than when you just live in a house somewhere. You might know your neighbors...wave and say hi, but here you get to really know them. It's living in a small space and not for everyone, but I find it lovely. I'm sure everyone here knows about my impending surgery as I've always been an open bo...

  I find myself reading a lot these days The day started with watering in all my new plants and then taking George for a stroller ride, not a very long one as it's hot and I'm tired. But he looked so hopeful I couldn't disappoint him. I did manage to vacuum and do a little cleaning, but the energy level is pretty low these days. After that I gathered up the meds my surgeon ordered for me to take with me to my pre-op surgery visit. It felt good to know what to expect afterwards and how long I'll need to be on some of these. I signed all the consent forms and agreed that I understood all the things that can go wrong and that this could kill me.  Honestly, these forms make me wonder how anyone is agreeable to consent. But I understand that it's all for legal reasons and the risk for this particular surgery is much lower than others. At the weigh in I was surprised by how much I'd already lost. I'm down to 217 (from 232). I hope I don't lose much more prior ...