So this is my 4th day at home after surgery. I love being at home, I could so much get used to this. What I don't like is not being able to do anything. There are so many things that need to be done outside--picking up stuff, digging up stuff. The yard and my gardens are a mess but I'm resisting temptation and am not doing anything to them. I can't bend over, I can only squat. So far all I've done is pick some daffodils for display in my living room and plant some pansies in a big pot on my deck railing. I had to plant them, it's a May ritual for me. They're beautiful, this year I picked the nearly-black purple ones to go in the white (albeit plastic) bowl-shaped pot I have each year. Great satisfaction in having that done. I also planted two pansy plants in a special mug that I broke the rim of, made by a prominent potter friend of mine. It looks a little silly but I can't bear to throw the mug away, it has a raised heron on it. Too pretty to part with, she doesn't make them any more.

So what do I do every day? Does it hurt any more? I do pretty much nothing every day and yes, it hurts a little bit. Today was better, not as much pain. The pain gets duller every day. This pain is NOTHING compared to pain I've had from other surgeries. I'm not impressed. One thing that hurts are the staples themselves. The dogs bump them, I bump them. One staple is too tight, has pulled too much skin and is irritating. So I watch DVDs, television, do crossword puzzles, take naps, pet my dogs, take pain meds (though fewer these days). Today I had to get firewood for my fire, it was 61 in my living room when I got up. I'm reading, too. Right now I'm watching the free U2 concert in NYC. Bono sure is a special person. The band rode around Manhattan on the back of a flat bed truck for a day, playing and letting different people come up to sing and play with them, then they played a free concert under the Brooklyn Bridge.

It was sunny and warm a couple of days but I didn't feel like being outdoors, which is how I knew there really was something wrong with me. What I really crave under normal circumstances is to sit in the sun and read a book, but those 2 days I had no desire to be outside, stayed inside on my couch.

My friend Julie came to see me yesterday, to bring me food and to keep me company. About 2 miles from my house she ran off the road, hit a tree and totaled her car. Wasn't hurt, and the sheriff just happened to come by just after her accident to help her take care of everything, get the car towed, give her a ride to my house, etc. I lent her my car to get home, and they'll get a rental car tomorrow. I knew how she felt, having rolled my car last fall through my own stupidity. One thing I thought was "Man am I glad I don't have to deal with anyone else when I have those things happen to me," since she felt really bad at having wrecked thier only car. Of course, the flip side is now needing the help of friends when I'm incapacitated. Fred picked me up and took me to Ken's for Sunday dinner, said he would do anything I needed for help. I have many friends who have offered.

I am fine. This pain is nothing compared to what I have been through. It's like puppy pain and totally manageable.