Frost Flakes

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Sometimes the frost forms flatter than the frost flowers that I posted about earlier this month. They patterns take on more the appearance of flakes with much smaller crystals. I photographed some of the frost flakes that had formed on the vertical sides of our recycle bin when it was out by the curb waiting for the truck.

At first, I though the ice was along scratches in the plastic…then decided that it was simply the way the frost formed on the very smooth plastic surface. If it had formed in the way it does on horizonal surfaces, it would not have adhered well enough to stay attached.

It also occurred to me that the blue color of the bin enhances the fell of winter temperatures and ice!

30 years ago – February 1992

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30 years ago – in February 1992 – it was a big month for milestones.

My paternal grandmother celebrated her 80th birthday. My mother had arranged a week-long celebration with various relatives appearing throughout the week, my daughter and I were there for the duration. My daughter had done enough airplane travel in her 2.5 years that getting from Maryland to Texas was uneventful, but the week was full of new experiences and lots of desserts; she and her cousin of similar age (the two great-grandchildren) were a pleasant distraction even when they were overly excited!  We stayed with one of my sisters for several nights because my parent’s house was needed for other relatives on those nights and my daughter discovered the fun of bunk beds (when we got home, she told her dad that she wanted bunk beds in her room). One of the enduring gifts from that birthday was a pink rose bush that a nephew and his wife brought; it is blooming profusely (in season…picture from last fall) beside my parent’s garage always reminding us of my grandmother and the couple that purchased it.

Another milestone was my daughter being accepted into the Montessori School I had selected as my first choice for her in the fall. It turned out to be a very positive experience for her over the next 3 years of pre-school and kindergarten…and was the last educational decision I made for her without her input!

Our grand piano was delivered in February 1992. It has been the largest part of our living room furniture since then! I took some pictures of it recently. Only the nicks in the legs from the vacuum cleaner give an indication of its age. It’s had an annual visit from the same piano tuner for almost the entire time!

Overlaid on those milestones – my daughter had a terrible cold and ear infection after we returned from Texas! Between our daughter and 2 careers there were frequent unexpected events; it was often a challenge to not feel overwhelmed – but there were always times to savor along the way too.

Foggy Forest

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One morning it was warm enough to be foggy and wet in the forest rather than frosty and snowy. The fog softened the view from my office window. It’s a view of winter that could also be early spring. But I know it’s not early spring in February; this day is a brief respite from mornings below freezing. The taller trees in the background are tulip poplars. The tree to the right in front of them with the darker trunk is a red maple. The branches even more in the foreground on the left is a sycamore.

Zooming in on the sycamore….the droplets of water condensed from the fog are evident on the small branches. The wet branches are more colorful when they are wet; when they are dry the cracking, curling bark is brown or grey and the smooth parts are white. In the wet, it is easier to see that there are chloroplasts in the smooth parts….the tree can make sugars even in winter!

Frost Flowers on our Deck

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One of my favorite winter macro photo opportunities happens on very cold mornings…when the humidity is high enough to create frost flowers. I get my phone set up with my clip-on lens and bundle up – this time the location was only a few steps from the house onto our deck. It was my first time with the new lens my husband got for me in December that allows more room to work (i.e. I don’t have to be as close to the subject as with my older clip-on lens).

I found myself taking themed series:

What do the crystals look like around the knot holes on the deck railing? I liked the textures of the knots overlaid with the frost flowers.

How do the crystals change when they go over an edge? The crystals seemed to get almost fuzzy…or flattened.

Where are the largest crystals? The largest crystals seem to form around a center…on a flat surface…making ‘frost flowers’. The ones below were on the cover of our gas grill; the weave of the fabric provides a size comparison.

I’m going to watch the weather forecast…see if I can predict when a good frost flower morning will occur…put out a glass plate the night before…and then photograph the frost flowers that form on a very smooth surface. I photographed some frost on the windshield of my car back in December 2011 (below)…would like to use my improved equipment (and skill) in a similar situation!

Hawk on Deck

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I was enjoying the snow flurries as I looked out my office window in late January when I heard a commotion below my window on our deck. I moved closer to the window to see what it was. A hawk was perched on the deck railing. I guessed that it had swooped down onto the deck – maybe for a meal of junco or mourning dove – but whatever the intended prey was, the hawk was not successful. It was looking all around the narrow strip of grassy yards and into the forest recovering from the failure and seeking a new target. Note: There are several pictures where the dark nictitating membrane is closed over the eye.

And then the bird flew off toward the forest. I used the picture id feature of the Merlin app to confirm my initial ID: red-shouldered hawk.

Morning Forest

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Our forest is on the west side of our house; the treetops often catch morning light over the house. There are a few minutes of orange color. I noticed it on three mornings in January…. photographing the forest illuminated in morning light. The first morning was after a snowy night. The seed pods on the tulip poplars provide enough texture to hold snow. In the second picture notice the pine in the lower left, the tulip poplars tall in the background, and the maple in the right foreground; the orange light had already begun to fade although there are parts of the forest interior that seems to pop through the maple branches.

There are times when the color looks surreal. In the winter I usually think of the forest being mostly brown…but it isn’t for these few minutes in the morning.

And the layering of the forest becomes more obvious. Somehow the clouds or the angle of the sun precluded the light from reaching the trees in the foreground on one morning…but the background trees were bathed in morning light.

Deer at Dusk

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The deer seem to always come through our yard at dusk…heading back into the forest for the night. One evening it was a small heard with a male…females…youngsters. The male was the last to leave our yard. They all looked healthy…well fed.

Our area has an overpopulation of deer. Managed hunts are held in the fall to reduce their numbers but there are still a lot of deer. My neighbor put up mesh around a young holly because it was being so heavily browsed; I am surprised that the holly in our yard that came up on its own (planted by bird droppings probably) has not had the same problem.

Birds through my Office Window - January 2022

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There seemed to be a lot of bird activity visible from my office window this past month. The most common ones – juncos, sparrows (white-throated and house), finches (gold and house) - do not feature as much in my photos but they were always around.

Mourning Doves are too heavy for the feeder, but they are frequent visitors under the feeder on the deck and out in the yard. They also perch in the maple. They look largest when it is cold, and their feathers are fluffed.

The Northern Cardinals come to the feeders and flit all over the yard and trees. They seemed to be more activity in January than usual because there were more of them around. We have a resident pair that are around all year but in January there were at least 2 other pairs that were occasionally coming for food…and the interactions of both the males and females were high drama to watch.

The other resident pair that we usually see all during the year are a male and female (pictured) Red-bellied Woodpecker. Hopefully they’ll have young again this year. The birds dig through the seeds at the feeder…always leave with a peanut or sunflower seed.

There was a hawk that was around occasionally. Once it was at the edge of the forest diving into the leaves…came up empty. Another time I heard a tussle on the deck and glanced out to find the hawk on the deck railing – also without prey that it had probably been stalking. I was particularly relieved that it didn’t kill one of the birds coming to the feeder!

I’ve noticed Northern Flickers more in our yard. They blend into the leaves so well they are hard to spot…don’t come to the feeders.

The White-breasted Nuthatch comes to the feeder and is very assertive – drives away all except the Red-bellied Woodpecker.

There was a mixed flock of Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds (pictured) that flew into the treetops of at the edge of the forest. I was glad they didn’t come down to our feeders! There were occasionally some cowbirds that came in the subsequent days; hope they don’t stick around for nesting season.

The downy woodpecker doesn’t come to our feeders frequently; they must be very hungry when the do because they eat quite a few seeds!

Zooming – January 2022

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Not as many zoomed images to choose from in January – I did more photography with my phone than my bridge camera. I was in extra-rest mode for part of the month after my surgery and it was very cold outside. Still the usual January photo subjects have a showing this month: snow, birds, deer in our neighborhood and flowers indoors. Enjoy the January 2022 slide show!

Cancer Diary – Entry 11

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The doctor that referred me for cancer surgery scheduled a follow up appointment for about 2.5 weeks after the surgery - assuming the surgeon would complete his role at about 2 weeks after the surgery (which I posted about in the 10th Cancer Diary post). The appointment with the doctor that will continue my care is the most recent milestone in my journey with cancer and getting treatment. He confirmed that I would not need radiation/chemo and ordered blood lab tests immediately and developed a plan for the next year: periodic blood tests and an ultrasound in a year. I am pleased that my cancer was caught early enough that I am on track to be ‘cured’ rather than living with cancer for the rest of my life.

It was bitterly cold the day of the appointment…but I was buoyed by the results I already knew from the surgeon and the continued fading of the hematoma/healing of the incision. The doctor provided excellent feedback and answered questions…the tech that did the blood draw did a great job getting the needle in smoothly then filling the multiple vials of blood required. On the way out of the building, I stopped for a few seconds to photograph the garden that looked so inviting when the weather was warmer; the fountain is turned off now and it’s too cold to linger but I still like the look of the place. I hurried to my car, thoroughly chilled, but appreciating the time out in the world, away from home. I celebrated that the appointment had been early enough that I got a close parking space!

I am so buoyed by the results that I am feeling more optimistic than I have all during the pandemic; I realize that, even though I was consciously reminding myself that the cancer had been detected early, I experienced a deep anxiety about it that became part of everything I was thinking and doing for the past few months.  Now I’ve started wearing earrings again (when I am not going to be taking a mask off and on), buying flowers every week at the grocery story and making multiple arrangements to place everywhere in the house. This is a time of celebration…a time to be happy that I am healthy and enjoying winter 2022.

Previous cancer diary posts:

Ten Little Celebrations – January 2022

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As I look at my list of little celebrations in January 2022, I am realizing that my surgery stands out so significantly that getting through the surgery itself (the 1st surgery, the reopening of the incision to release blood, the 2nd surgery) is the major celebration of the month! There are little celebrations around that big one: a sunrise and good grocery shopping experience before the surgery, an excellent chicken soup I made a few days after coming home, the hematoma beginning to fade (although it is still not completely gone 2+ weeks afterward…I am checking/celebrating progress every morning), and my first grocery shopping after the surgery (with the assistance of my husband).

The other celebration that stands out this month….more than a little one…is the death of our cat, Boromir. I was glad I held him close for over an hour on his last day….that he seemed at peace. We are still missing him but also celebrating that Boromir was with us for so many years and particularly through the pandemic when we were at home most of the time; he contributed to the positive vibe that seemed so natural…so easily sustained.

And then there were some ‘usual’ little celebrations:

A great meatloaf. I discovered that adding a little olive oil if the ground beef is very lean and using spaghetti sauce instead of salsa improves the texture and flavor!

Red velvet cake/carrot cake for our 49th wedding anniversary. We both savored our slice of celebratory cake…not having any leftovers!

Peppermint snow ice cream. Celebrating a seasonal favorite and plenty of snow to make it!

A new garage door. It was awful to have a damaged door….I celebrated that we could get it replaced quickly.

Snow on the ground. Celebrating the beautiful scene from the windows of our house….and the different perspective as I walked through the neighborhood.

Bluebird Visit

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Last week we had a small flock of Eastern Bluebirds visit out deck. It was a group of male and female birds…5 or 6 of them. They didn’t seem interested in the heated bird bath…just the feeder. They overwhelmed the house sparrows and house finches that are the regulars there. At one point there were 4 bluebirds at the feeder!

The males are more brightly colored that the females. It’s easy to see the difference in many of the pictures.

We don’t have regular visits from bluebirds…tend to see them occasionally in the winter. There are plenty of parks and conservation areas that have bluebird houses and provide habitat for them when they are raising young and away from our neighborhood. It feels good to contribute to the bluebirds well-being in winter with our feeder and heated bath.

Bluebirds have increased in numbers in our part of Maryland over the years that we have lived in the area with the participation of local governments and home owners with larger properties providing houses. A big concern now is the fall in insect populations; these birds need insects in their diet when they are breeding and then to feed their young.

Here are some bluebirds posts from previous years: January 2021, January 2020, February 2018, January 2018.

Cancer Diary – Entry 10

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A week and half after my surgery, I made a quick trip to the grocery store…at my usual early morning time. I covered my healing scar with a scarf and my usual KF94 face mask which was comfortable because it was so cold! The big difference from my norm was my husband went with me to put the items that weighed more than 10 pounds on my cart. He did that at the beginning and then I continued the rest of my shopping as usual – scanning the items I was buying with my phone using the store’s app, loading up my bags as I shopped, and then checking out at the self-checkout. My husband was waiting in the car to load all the bags when I was done….and then he unloaded them into the house when we got home.  It was my first venture away from the house since the surgery….and helped me feel like I was truly getting back to normal (or ‘normal’ in raging Omicron surge time).

I had a telemedicine session with my surgeon a few days shy of 2 weeks after my surgery. Because of the ‘bleed’ and reopening of the incision on the same day as the surgery, I still had the residual purple, red, yellow colors visible on my skin. That will take time to clear. The incision itself was healing well…past the point of concern about infection… and the 10-pound weight limit was lifted. The analysis of the tissue removed had been done and it appears that the cancer was in an early stage…no further treatment should be required. The session marked the end of the interaction with the surgeon and the transition to the specialist that will monitor me going forward; the appointment with that doctor is in a few days which will define the monitoring plan going forward (the levels of the one medication required and the schedule for any subsequent testing).

The incision is healed enough that I can wear clothing that might rub it a little now and it has made it easier to dress…helped to gently cause the surgical glue to flake away. It’s also a boost to my mood to look more my normal self although some of the hematoma is still visible.

I made a foray out into the yard a few days after the telemedicine session to take the accumulated kitchen/spend cut flowers back to the compost pile and to collect branches that fell during the snow and wind of the past few weeks. Another activity that I handled with ease…. confirming to myself that I was making a good recovery.

I have been making my 12,000 steps per day goal since the week after surgery but there are still instances where I feel unexpectedly tired, and I am glad my situation is flexible enough to allow me to rest when that happens. I’ve taken a few unplanned naps! It doesn’t happen every day but when it does,  I heed the message my body is sending!

So – two weeks after surgery – I am feeling more and more like I did before the surgery…and very pleased that I will not need follow up radiation/chemo!

Previous cancer diary posts:

High Key Flowers

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I’ve been buying flowers every time I go to the grocery story since the beginning of the year – so there were several different arrangements availablefor my indoor high key photo shoot. My set up was all in my home office…the plants on a small table or the window ledge…the bright sunlight on the other side of the window. The objective is arrange situations where like is coming behind the subject and to overexpose enough that the background goes to white. I sat in an office chair on the opposite side of the room – usually with the camera on my knee to keep it steady. The camera was far enough away from the flowers for the camera’s auto focus to perform well.

I experimented with composition…and focus. I like the textures and colors that seem to pop in the images because of the whiteness of the background and the lack of other clutter.

Unique Aspects of Days – January 2022

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This year I am jotting down something unique about each day…encouraging myself to notice those things that are not the same day after day. Sometimes it is related to what I identify as a ‘little celebration’ – but not all the time.

Some of the unique aspects would happen every year – a first snow of the year, a 49th wedding anniversary (Ok – next year will be the 50th),  and a 1st awesome sunrise of the year.

Others will only happen once – perhaps more truly unique: a pet dying, making a new recipe for the first time (this month is was pumpkin peanut powder curry cream (soup)) and a surgery.

Still others I recorded this first month of listing unique events were simply rare: fog in the afternoon and a new garage door.

Overall – this is a good project for 2022…another dimension of awareness into how I am spending my days…making sure I am not ‘in the rut’ all the time!

In Memory of Our Cat

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Our cat since November 200 died this week. He was adult when we got him on November 2003 so was probably 19-20 years old. My husband and I are missing him.

He came to us with a brother. They were named Simba and Puma, but my daughter renamed them Boromir and Faramir after the brothers in Lord of the Rings. Faramir died in April 2017 and Boromir became our ‘only cat.’

His teeth were always problematic and he had tumor that required removal of his jaw almost 10 years ago….one of his ears developed a hematoma then collapsed. But he took those handicaps in stride…continued enjoying his favorite sunny spots and requesting to be let out on the screened deck.

He saw more of us these past few years than any of our other cats did because we have retired from our careers and the pandemic has kept us at home even more the past couple of years. My husband was the primary cat cuddler and provider of an elaborate smorgasbord of small plates with various cat foods across our kitchen floor to tempt the picky eater.  

The cat declined rapidly in the past few weeks with a lot happening during the week of my cancer surgery.  The cat started getting lost in the house…became blind…then seemed to regain some sight. He managed to come upstairs one early morning and meow loudly…clearly wanting something to be different than it was; it was the last time he came upstairs on his own. A few days later, he lost control of his back legs…soon after started refusing to eat or drink and becoming silent.

And now it is a cold, blustery winter day…and our Boromir is not here. The house seems too big and empty right now.  

Cancer Diary – Entry 9

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The next milestone after cancer surgery is the appointment with the surgeon 2 weeks after. I’m writing this post a week after the surgery…so halfway to that milestone.

I spent the night after the surgery in the hospital. It was a miserable night with the head of the bed at a 30 degree angle….pressure cuffs on legs…throat sore after two rounds of anesthesia…IVs. Sleep was not possible although I felt deeply exhausted. I ordered breakfast as early as I could…the first food since the day before surgery: scrambled eggs and fresh fruit. Eating was slower going than I anticipated because my throat was sore, and swallowing was not quite back to normal; on the plus side – I really savored that meal! There was the taking of meds (more challenging because of swallowing issue), waiting around for release orders, and finally it was time to go. The coordination of me being wheeled down to the pickup point just as my husband pulled up was successful...and I was on my way home on a sunny cold day.

My priority after getting home was to have some lunch (a smoothie) and then organize myself to follow the discharge instructions. There were not a lot of meds…but enough that were new-to-me that I made a little chart to make sure I took them at the right times for the upcoming week. The situation was more challenging because we decided that in all the flurry with my evening in the hospital, the risk of being exposed to COVID was enough that I needed to be sequestered in the house. I had two rooms upstairs to myself and would wear a mask elsewhere in the house; the sequestering continued through a negative rapid test on day 5 and then day 7. Getting my meals and carrying them back upstairs to eat…juggling to open and close doors…almost required more coordination that I could muster!

Pain was not a problem but the visual of the red and purple color that had moved from the hematoma location down across the front of my chest was disturbing. It was a shock to my sense of self that I had not anticipated…my body looked so different than before…a stranger to myself. I wanted it to improve rapidly; instead - the purple and red color reached its worst the day after I came home from hospital and then seemed to just stay the same for several days; some areas are still purple a week after; I’m hearted that some areas have faded to yellow; the body is cleaning up what happened.

My sleep improved at home but did not return to pre-surgery ‘normal’ until close to the end of the week. Every little odd twinge or tightness was something I monitored….constantly feeling the need to reassure myself that everything was OK. I noticed feeling ‘different’ as I was drifting in and out of sleep – my mind working on whether it was the surgery, the mediations, or just sleep changes…the net was little deep sleep the first few nights.  I napped several times during the first half of the week to make up for the poor sleep during the night. By the end of the first week, sleep and energy level during the day were returning to normal.

My meals had been mostly things like smoothies and soup – easy to swallow – but I graduated to more normal fare by about the 5th day when my husband got us take out from Chipotle (no chips for me, though). The next day I made corn bread muffins with added cranberry/orange relish – somehow I had gotten very hungry for them! I had prepped a meatloaf before my surgery…stored it in the freezer. I moved it from the freezer to refrigerator to thaw the day before and my husband put it in the oven with some baked potatoes.

Bottom line – there are still a few residuals of the surgery that I am noticing 1 week afterward (swallowing not back to normal, color from hematoma event not totally faded) but overall, I am feeling good. Next week, I’ll have to experiment with how to cover up my scar when I am out and about; it helps that it is cold this time of year and bundling up is the norm!

Celebrating with Cake

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Three days after my cancer surgery – I reminded my husband to do a pickup order from a local grocery store that included a slice of cake for each of us: carrot cake for him and red velvet for me. We were celebrating our 49th wedding anniversary! We’ve never done huge anniversary celebrations, but this was more truncated than usual since we were in the mode of assuming I might have been exposed to COVID in the hospital.  We were masked when we put the cake slices on plates and took pictures…congratulated each other on the milestone…then we each retreated to separate floors of our house with air purifiers running full tilt to enjoy the treat.

22 Months in COVID-19 Pandemic

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22 months in COVID-19 pandemic is a long time to be in heightened awareness mode…long enough for new habits to become well established. I would feel very odd going into a store without a mask….or going shopping at a time where there are lots of people in the store…or shopping slowly…or going out to eat rather than getting takeout. These new habits are just part of the way I am out in the world right now; they are not difficult to sustain.

My concern about COVID-19 has increased over the past month as the Omicron variant has become more widespread and the infections/hospitalizations in Maryland (where I live) have increased dramatically. My husband and I have backed off the plans we had for beginning to get out more. We are enjoying our house and yard…doing outdoor activities on our own in areas without a lot of other people rather than meeting a group.

I take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy whatever I am doing:

…a sunrise before going into the grocery store

… the unfurling of yellow roses over several days as I do my normal activities in my home office (I had the vase on the window sill)

…the snow caught in the pinecones/greenery on our front door (I had opened the door to take it down to dismantle/take to the compost pile but decided to leave it)

Making the conscious effort to appreciate my surroundings is my best strategy for sustaining a positive attitude. I have also started setting 30 minute timers all during the day and doing 3 minutes of walking. It is a great way to move throughout the day and stay focused on whatever I need to do during the other 27 minutes!

My husband and I have planned what we will do after my cancer surgery since there will be a higher than usual chance we will be exposed to COVID-19. For him, being in the waiting room for hours is the challenge; even if he goes outside to eat/drink and everyone is masked when indoors…it will be a lot longer indoors away from home since the initial lockdowns of the pandemic. For me, the exposure could take place during the surgery itself…from the time I take off my mask to the time I wake up from anesthesia; presumably everyone will be masked and the air filtration will be good….but still more chance of exposure than my normal routine. Our plan for 5 days post-surgery is to be on separate floors of our house when we have our mask off (sleeping, eating/drinking, showering) ….and test if we have any symptoms. I’ll post more about it as we implement the pan.

By the time I am recovered from surgery and ready for another road trip to Texas, the Omicron variant may be waning and hopefully another variant is not burning bright and hot….but maybe that is wishful thinking.

Cancer Diary – Entry 7

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A flurry of pre-op activity….the discipline of getting to appointments on time and filling the waiting time between.

The uptick in activity pre-surgery increased two weeks before the surgery date with an appointment with my primary care physician for bloodwork, EKG, and chest x-ray. Everything came back good for the surgery; however, there was a ‘nodule’ that showed up on the chest x-ray. There was a follow-up CT Chest that indicated that the issue seen in the x-ray was not there (i.e. the ‘nodule’ seen in the x-ray was a shadow or other artifact rather than something real). I was very discombobulated by the x-ray and was glad I could get an appointment for the follow-up the next day. The data from the tests done by my primary care physician were posted on the surgeon’s portal 9 days afterward….I was glad to know they had gotten to their destination.

Three days before surgery, I had a PCR test for COVID-19 at a drive through testing site for surgery patients (i.e. not a site for the general public/symptomatic people). It was my first experience with a PCR test and was easier than I expected:

  • We had gotten 3 inches of snow overnight and my appointment was at 9 AM, but the streets were relatively clear, and I drove up to the parking lot testing location a few minutes early; there was no line; the guard checked me in, and I drove into the tent where a nurse with full head gear respirator checked my ID and did the test.

  • The nurse did not need to swab deep in my nose!

  • Supposedly the results will be available and posted to the portal within 48 hours…the day before the surgery.

A person from the outpatient surgery center called with some final instructions:

  • No food after midnight, no liquid after 6:30 AM….and stopping certain supplements. I already knew those things from previous instructions, but it was good to be reminded.

  • I need to shower with antibacterial soap (like Dial) and not apply anything post shower; I made a special early morning trip to the grocery store to get the appropriate soap.

  • They are on heightened COVID protocols now and have closed waiting rooms - recommended that my husband drop me off and return at the time the nurse specifies during a call to him when my surgery is complete; he will never go into the building. I will be at the surgery center for at least 5 hours.

  • When the nurse calls my husband after my surgery concludes, she will also provide details for at-home/follow-up care and then I will get the same thing in writing before I leave the facility. One question we’ll ask is whether we should proactively assume I might have been exposed to COVID and should implement our strategy of masking/separation-when-unmasked at home.

  • The time I need to arrive for surgery was 15 minutes earlier than I was told previously.

  • I needed to provide insurance and billing information to the pharmacy at the facility so the nurse could pick up any prescription I needed to send home with me.  

  • The exact location in the building where I need to go when I arrive was also indicated; all I had before was the address of the building.

  • The list of things I should bring with me is short enough to fit in my coat pocket: insurance card, glasses case, phone, photo id. They already have my medication list in their files.

I am set to stay near the bedroom on the second floor of our house for at least the 1st 24 hours after surgery. Snacks and flowers and supplements are on top of my dresser. There is a small folding table and chair set up in case I want to eat a meal or two up there.

I am relieved that the surgery is going to happen as scheduled (not cancelled or delayed because of increased hospitalization due to COVID-19) and reassured after the conversation with the person from the surgery center; it was good to talk to a real person!

Next Cancer Diary post will be about my perception of the surgery day…

Previous cancer diary posts: