Our water pressure finally came back yesterday (Monday) morning.

I try to never take our glorious water supply for granted.  I’m very aware that other areas of our world do not have the same access.  Never have and likely never will.  Other parts of the world have had it, but are extremely low and rationed now, like California.  Some have way more than they want and the flooded conditions actually make clean water unavailable.  No matter what our access, we as humans, depend on it and thrive where it is found.  We never lost water in our home, and the trickle that we did have was able to get cold, or warm, or hot – whatever we wanted it to be. Our toilets flushed.  I was even able to wash a small load of clothes without hiking down to the stream.  I really did not suffer in any way.  I simply lacked what I was used to having.  I was “inconvenienced”.  Not necessary like camping post-abdominal surgery, but kind of like that.  Just a little.

I have always noticed the little things and treasured life’s simple pleasures.  My mom pointed it out to me when I was very young and I haven’t stopped since. Glancing out into my backyard in the morning, I lose myself in the activity.  Woodpeckers, yellow and red crossbills, robins, blue jays, sparrows, juncos, starlings, wrens, finches, nuthatches, grackles, chickadees and so many more.  We have a beautiful western tanager that just arrived back this year and a turkey who has been visiting early mornings and some evenings to scratch the ground for fallen seed.  We have a single red squirrel that I’m sure is posing for some of the pictures taken on our trail cam.  He’s glam!  And recently, we have an adorable marmot who has come to visit.   Life is everywhere.  Movement, motion, commotion – it all marches on whether I’m looking or not.  Oh, how I love to watch.

I feel like I’m missing chunks of time.  A big chunk while I was in the hospital for 8 days. Those initial days, I barely remember……..just snippets of time like opening my eyes and seeing Shelby with her cup of coffee, gliding in and slipping quietly into a chair, softly saying “Hey” when she sees my eyes open.  Her presence guided me back.  Or, the moment I would feel Tom next to me, kissing my forehead.  When I count my blessings, I count this man twice.  I vaguely remember my sister and her husband being there, although I knew how much they were doing in the shadows…..preparing meals, being with my husband and girls and helping with Angel.  They were here for a week being literal saints while I slept the days away in a fog.  I remember Shannon coming by and giving me my birthday present, a Kindle Fire.  Frequently, I would wake up to the thought of having a Kindle Fire, a Fitbit and the new Charles Martin book waiting for me at home.  The hospital does have a few memories of pain and discomfort, althoughh they are distant and vague.  Mainly, I remember walking a lot, and I remember those who took the time to walk with me.  Those angels who came into my room at all times of day or night, interrupted from whatever they were doing before I rang, to tend to all the things I could not do for myself.  I loved walking the halls in the middle of the night.  I wanted to get stronger, I wanted to get better, and walking was one of the biggest keys to opening that door.  The quiet and dim of the night seemed to hold me up and gather around me in a healing way when I would walk.  Like a reversible coat, it had a different color and feel when in my room.  I lived on ice chips alone for five days, wasn’t even hungry and somehow still found the strength to walk.  Probably won’t be able to market that diet, though!

The wound packing has been going fine. We were both pretty nervous that first time.  It’s just plain weird to have an open wound like that.  You’d think I’d be bleeding all over and spilling my innards out.  Sorry, that was kind of graphic.  When I removed the initial packing, it was 62 inches long!!! Holy Cow!  That’s over 5 feet!!  The wound is only about 1 1/2 – 2″ long and about an inch deep.  Where did it all go?!?!  I guess the idea is that it will take less and less each day and eventually close up on its own.   It does feel like a setback but shouldn’t change my expected return to work on July 1st.  I got the rest of the staples out yesterday.  Shelby took my list and did our grocery shopping for us while we were at the clinic and even delivered it to our car in coolers.  Thanks Shelb for spending your one day off of work in the aisles of Walmart for your Mama!

My surgeon has referred me to an oncologist for the next “phase”, so I guess I should be expecting a call in the next week from them.

That’s all for now.