We had our Christmas this morning and there were 14 of us.  Kids were there from California, Holland MI, Indianapolis IN and Eaton Rapids MI along with those of us from Grand Rapids and St Clair Shores MI.  We were at Terry and Jan's and what we had was brunch.  The couple from Eaton Rapids brought their 11-month old daughter and she was great, not a peep out of her until toward the end.  She had plenty of people to comfort her.  My deceased nephew's widow was there with her husband-to-be and he passed muster; nice man.  I was able to see my old car and she looked good - like new and it's a 2003.  Erin (owner now) brought her part pit bull/ English setter with her and the dog, Ramona, is very well behaved.  We had plenty of food.  For the second day in a row, I forgot my glasses.  I can see OK, just not read good - and that was not necessary.  The reason I forget them is that I have been attending to the bandage on my face and the bandage is just below the eye and it feels like something is there, such as glasses.  We were there from about 10 am until nearly 2 pm.

Tomorrow I am to have my hair cut and I'm going to surprise my stylist with my bandage.  I can take a shower following my surgery, so I see no problem with a shampoo.  Wednesday I am to have my stitches removed and Thursday we will have our Tom Tock family Christmas.

It amazes me with this surgery that I have had absolutely no pain, in fact, I don't know of any after-effects - except that I keep forgetting to take my glasses when I go somewhere!!!

Going to Terry's, we had a dense fog, so much we could hardly see and as usual now in the afternoon, the sun is shining.  I have a thermometer that reads 51 degrees. 

Reading others posts, I think we all had good Christmases, whether in large groups or none at all.  MarsGal, I am happy you were able to taste some of the food.  Maybe your taste buds are on the way back.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann, glad you had no pain from that surgery, but if you want some pain I will gladly share some of mine with you.

I just looked at Grand Haven and the water is very choppy.  The sun is shining and there are a few people on the beach and I'm not sure, there could have been some brave soul out on the pier.  Some of the pier, closest to shore, looks as if there is new concrete.  That is the one reason they took down the catwalk, so they could work on the pier.  Of course, the catwalk needs some attention too.

Joan, thanks, but I'll pass on your pain.  I have a rotator cuff and arthritis problem in my right shoulder and I have enough pain in that area.  I take Arthritis 650 for that and it helps.

Mary Ann

It's late in the day and I haven't done much except some computer work.  No one has posted since I was here this afternoon and at 9:22 pm I will shut this down when I finish here.  I am listening to the Hope College Vespers, an annual telecast at Christmastime.  Hope College is in Holland MI and affiliated with the Reformed and Christian Reformed Churches.  It is interesting to look at the hairdos of the girls as most of them have long hair.  I will say that most of those girls have combed their hair so they are neat.  Very few of the boys have long hair.

Mary Ann

Good Night Mary Ann...  Have a good one !!

Sandy

On the local TV news yesterday was an item about a service dog that went missing on Christmas Day. The dog was hit by a car, got scared or disoriented and ran off. The owner is a 31 year old veteran who has Multiple Sclerosis (which she says she got as a result of contracting a virus while serving in Kuwait) and PTSD. The dog is trained as an emotional support dog. The vet is visiting her granddaughter and does not want to go home until her dog is found.

I didn't know you could get Multiple Sclerosis from a virus. Will have to look that up. Service dogs are not inexpensive. One of my co-workers has a child with a severe allergy to peanuts. She looked into getting a trained service dog who can sniff peanuts in food. It would cost her $10,000. She said expensive, but the life of her child is more than worth it.

It was extremely quiet around here yesterday. Very little traffic and the rail yard must have been closed for the holiday on Monday, too. I saw no activity.

Hi everyone on a foggy but reasonable warm morning here in South Carolina.  We are predicted to reach 70 degrees this afternoon.  I really had a good nights sleep last night and didn't get up this morning until 8 am.  Pat was already up and fixed her own breakfast. 

Today I will probably go over to COSTCO as Pat is about out of strawberries, which she likes to have for her breakfast.  I also need to go to Lowe's and purchase some new light bulbs.  Pat is going to try to get into see the Chiropractor today and I think we will eat our big meal out as she hasn't been out of the house since last Wednesday.  I also need to call Comcast about getting new rate for my Internet.  This is a job that I detest and have put it off about as long as possible. I don't know why I dislike this so much as almost always end up with nice people to deal with.

MarsGal, so glad you could at least get a bit of taste from the Christmas dinner.  It sounds like you had a nice conversation.  It sounds like  George could teach me things about my smart phone that I didn't realize it would do.  I will have to check out taking a photo without pushing a button as that would be handy.  Pat and I watched the Cranford series and really enjoyed it.  Last night we started a new series on Netflix called "The Reign" or just "Reign" and it is about the life of Mary, Queen of Scots and has three seasons of the shows available. 

Patricia, the Inkers are like a little, probably one inch wide, roller that covers writing on a document such as an account number or the address for magazines, etc.  Pat and I both used the Phonesoap appliance yesterday and am using it again today as I write.  It certainly can't hurt anything to have nice germ free phones.  It sounds like Farrah has a very busy schedule each morning. I would consider Santa a very nice man to bring me candy, cookies, sweet loves of bread and cake. 

Mary Ann, what a nice family get together.  That eleven month old probably was warn out by all of that doting attention.    I know the family was happy to have you rather than staying home just because of a bandage on your face. 

Joan, you are a generous person being willing to share with Mary Ann but see that she has declined your offer and sounds like she could make the same offer to someone else.   

Cute Larry.  LOL

I really lead a sedentary life, since I can't get up and drive somewhere at will.  So this week has been unusual for me, busy Monday through Thursday:  Monday family Christmas, Tuesday (today) haircut and breakfast out, Wednesday having my stitches removed and Thursday our little family Christmas (Tom, Annie, James, Alicia and me).  It has been a strange Christmas for me because Annie and Tom wrapped all of the gifts, including mine, so I won't know until I see what is in the package what I gave someone.  Tom ordered from Amazon and I did pick out my choices, so that was not done for me.

It is a dreary, but clear, day today, temperature is 27 degrees now and yesterday it got up into the 50s.  It will not get anywhere near that today.

I offered to remove my bandage if it would make it easier for my stylist, but she managed beautifully with it in place.  And, Larry, I would not hide from my family.  It was funny seeing the baby because she would stare at me, I think because of the bandage on my face.  It is not a small bandage and very obvious.  After getting my hair cut, Tom and I had breakfast at the restaurant next door - a regular thing when I get my hair cut.

MarsGal, I hope the service dog has been found and returned to the woman.

Mary Ann

Good morning everyone, at least it is only mid morning here! We are still having the same weather from last week, warm, moist, with intermittent snow. But no actual snow gain.

Farrah is in a snit as I ran out of treats and when she kept whining by the treat closet, I put her food dish in front of it. Now she is attempting to kill her felt mouse by using it as a shot put.

I am attempting to get my grammar lessons and my PSP lessons ready and up to date for when Christmas break is over and classes resume. I am also slowly getting everything cleaned and put back after having my apartment deep cleaned. This guy, mid-sixties, isn't cheap, doesn't mess around and I can see why he is so highly recommended! I need either clones or simply more hours out of the regular twenty-four!

Larry, Joan is right, cute!

MaryAnn, I sent money to all the adults, (No children in the family anymore); back in October, but purchased a few small gifts for friends'  grands and great grands that I have come to know. One, the one who gave me the paddle, emailed me a thank you note from the tablet his parent bought him, on his own. While I was thanked by others verbally, the thank you note was really appreciated!

I too hope, MarsGal,  that the service dog was found and that you will let us know.

Larry, all those sweets are tempting when you are trying to exercise and eat right. I was inordinately proud of myself for not gaining over Christmas. I am finally in the home stretch and trying to be more active.  Thanks for letting me know about the inkers.

I hope everyone is managing to stay healthy, active and happy for whatever state we're in. I deal with my own constant issues so while I cannot know your pain, I can sympathize.

Last night I gave Kendrick some canned tuna, an extra from whichever dry food I transferred to yesterday.  He ate the liquid, but the hunks were still in the dish this morning.  He has his dry food in his dish now and every so often I hear him at his dish.  I took a nap this afternoon and when I woke up he was on the bed asleep.  He's in his bed on a chair now and I told him when his "mother" and the others were here Thursday, I'd put his bed on the floor so someone can sit on the chair.  I have no idea what he understands, certainly not words, but I wonder if he realizes the changes in tones.  He does understand "NO!" when he is by the front door and he wants to go out - and I don't want him to go out.

I think the last of our Amazon packages was delivered a few minutes ago.  Come to think of it, no one has gone after the mail so I'd better do that as roads are clear.

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, I think of animals understanding us as we would another person speaking a foreign, to us, language. We would overtime recognize tones and words. Animals may not speak as people do but have rich and complex languages of their own.

At least Kendrick liked the juice. Sarah was like that with tuna. Farrah is not into people food at all. The sound and sight of a can opener or refrigerator opening has no effect on her. She reacts to either the food or treat closet or if I approach her mat.

Have you ever seen those lock together pieces that form an exercise floor? I was given one of those pieces when I was given Sarah back in 2013. Cats love them for clawing and for laying about.

Just for reference;

http://www.rubberflooringinc.com/soft-flooring.html?slc=2328&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=s_pcrid_153604553667_pkw__pmt__pdv_c_pprd_2328&gclid=Cj0KEQiAv4jDBRCC1IvzqqDnkYYBEiQA89utomEp_VMWFvZ1nkQ5VMG0yCo-T4bwUu2p_gamipDI6RcaAvSd8P8HAQ

Tomorrow I'm going to look up some items on Amazon that I need but expect to be expensive, I never seem to keep a lot of money at the end of the month.   

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

I've missed checking in here for at least a couple of weeks so had to jump to the end. December has been a busy and tiring month. My husband was in the hospital for a few days and I spent a lot of time going back and forth. The hospital is fairly close, about 6 miles.

I think I mentioned that our granddaughter, Erin, and her family spent a week with us right after we returned from our trip to Aruba. In between then and Christmas we had several social activities. Our oldest daughter (mother of Erin) and SIL arrived here on the Thursday before Christmas. They drove to Gainesville to spend Christmas Eve and morning with Erin. We managed to squeeze in the Candlelight Service at our church on Christmas Eve. They have a beautiful service.  Christmas Day there were nine of us here including three boys, 16, 14 and 7, for dinner........Thank goodness for all the help from Donna! I think I'm getting too old for this.  Donna and Mike left early Monday morning and she just called to say they are safely back home in Vermont.

This looks like a diary but I wanted to explain my long absence. Sometimes spending time on the computer is one thing too many!

I'm going to try to catch up on some of the happenings while I've been away.

Patricia, the tiles are interesting, but I think $45 is too much to spend at one time on the cat.  I will see if there is something in that line that might be less expensive.  It looks like the material is substantial because I think otherwise he'd have something in shred quickly.  Thanks for the link.

Beverly, you have been busy; no wonder you haven't had time to be here.  I'm sorry Chape has been in the hospital again. 

I'm going tomorrow to have the stitches removed from my surgery.  I hope I will not have to wear a bandage any more, but I have plenty of fixing for bandages.  The bandage gets in the way of my eye; I can see out of it OK, but I have to watch where and how I place the bandage so my lash doesn't hit it. 

Tom is out driving for Uber tonight.  He usually doesn't drive on Tuesdays, only long weekends because there usually aren't enough passengers in the early week.  He's done quite well but he isn't going to quit his day job!!!

Mary Ann

Patrica and MaryAnn, a little after 10. I have had a long day, out to lunch and grocery shopping. Tired and a little stressed out, took a nitro and feel a little better.
Taffy knows when I say no.  I keep her bags of dry food in a very large can, she can be sound asleep, but if I open she is right there rubbing on my leg and talking.  She will not eat people food, and only the gravey off of the wet, sometimes she will eat more of the wet Meow Mix.  The vet said she should eat more of the wet, as she has had trouble with hair balls
MaryAnn, be careful, when you go for mail, to day the Queen of our Red Hats, went for the mail and fell and broke her hip. Some one finally heard her calling for help.

Super news! The veteran's dog was found and is back with his owner. The info is very sparse, but the Harrisburg Humane Society ended up with the dog who has a microchip. There is no info on whether or not the dog had any injuries after being hit or who found the dog. Needless to say, the vet is extremely happy to have her dog back.

Hi everyone on another overcast but relatively warm morning and we are headed up to 68 degrees this afternoon.  I did make it to COSTCO to pick up the strawberries for Pat.  I got there early and it wasn't crowded and it only took me probably 15 minutes in the store.  Pat and I did go out for dinner last evening and when we got home I watched one of the football bowl games.  This is the season for many bowl games from now until after the first of the year.  I slept in again this morning and Pat had fixed her own breakfast by the time I got up.  She was in a lot of pain when she got up.  I don't plan to go anywhere today but rather after I finish the message boards I am going to do some cooking in preparation for our dinner tonight.  I always have more energy in the mornings than the afternoons.  We have some roast thawing out which we will fix in the crock pot adding some vegetables later.  I plan on fixing some green beans to heat up to go with dinner.  I may make some more sausage muffins for Pat.  It all depends on my energy level.

Yesterday I did call Comcast and found my current plan is good until April 24 of next year.  So I will call back a few days before then to talk about a new plan.  During the next few days, before th beginning of the year, I want to get things ready for next year here in my office, which means sorting through papers and preparing files for next year.

Mary Ann, I bet things will slow down a bit for you after this week.   I am glad you haven't let the bandage interfere with your activities. 

Patricia, how could you allow the treat closet to become empty!! Tsk Tsk.  Poor Farrah.  Our animals get used to a routine and don't like to have it broken.  My son's cat is still mad at him for putting a cabinet in place of a table that was in front of a window where the cat sat.  Nice of the little boy to send his own thank you note to you.  I am finding my appetite is nowhere near what it used to be.  I didn't over indulge at the Christmas meal and am going relatively light on the desserts still left.  I have never heard of that type of rubber mats.  I read yesterday that Amazon had shipped over 1 Billion packages this holiday season. 

Beverly, is our husband better now and I hope it wasn't too serious.  Your family had good weather getting back to Vermont for this time of the year.  Hope you both can get rested up now.  Our son is flying to Albany, NY, this evening to pick up his daughter and they will fly out at 8 am tomorrow getting back here at 2 pm.  He decided to fly back rather than rent a car and drive.  The forecast for up their looks OK until tomorrow afternoon when they will be back here.  We were concerned about him driving back this time of the year.

deAngel, I have always thought that cats basically sleep with one eye open so they don't miss anything.  A broken hip is a bad thing and can happen so quickly.  Do you ice there or perhaps the hip just broke on its own?

MarsGal, happy ending to a sad story about the missing dog. 

Gloria, Kendrick recognizes the sounds when I open a drawer, especially where I keep his treats.  He has been rather wild this morning, running up and down the steps and racing around the living area.  He is alone so much that I went in the living area to watch him and give him some company.  I let him out on the deck for a few minutes.  There is snow there, but about two feet around the edge of the deck there is no snow.  He investigated the snow as he went around.  I was going to take his picture but he moved away from there and I let him inside.

I had the stitches removed from my face this morning and I don’t have to wear a bandage any more.  I don’t look too good, but it is better than I expected.  The nurse said it looked OK so I guess I took care of things the last few days.

I’m sorry to hear about your Red Hat Queen, Gloria.  I am very careful going after the mail and right now the road is clear.  When there is a lot of snow and/or ice, I let Tom get the mail.  He does something I  used to do â€" go to the mailbox in the car instead of walking across the road. 

MarsGal, that is good news about the veteran getting her dog back.

Tom’s kids will be here tomorrow for our Christmas and he has planned the meal:  turkey breast (thawing in the refrigerator now), potatoes and green bean casserole.  At least that’s what I know of his menu.  All we have to do is some pickup and Tom has asked Annie to come do that.  I will pick up some things, but I can’t bring the vacuum upstairs.  I did do some dusting last week and might do more.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann - Glad your stitches have been removed, and everything is looking good.  I've been following your comments on the surgery, and reading them to my husband.  Next week, he has to have the Mohs surgery on his ear.  He has an appointment today with the dermatologist, to  explain the procedure. 

Looks like you and Kendrick had a good time this morning! I think that house cats must have to let off some steam, every so often.  Cats and dogs love to be outside, but in this day and age, it is impossible to let them run free, as we used to do in times past.  I'm lucky, in that our back yard is fenced, with a security screening added at the top, so it is impossible for animals to get in or out.  Winnie usually goes out there first thing in the morning and walks the perimeter of the entire yard, (to check on anything that might have invaded his territory during the night! LOL)  In warm weather he likes to lie on the deck in the sun, but during the winter he spends most days in the house.

You all were talking about different things that your cats like for scratching?  Winnie loves those corrugated cardboard stands or "benches".  The first one I got him was called an Emery Cat, which he loved but now I buy something similar at Petco, that is even better.  He can sit or lie on it, scratch it, and will even sleep on it occasionally.  They are very light weight, and last quite a long time. When one starts to show lots of wear from scratching, I buy a new one, and put the old one on the deck, outside the slider.

Good morning!

I had one of those nights and fell asleep about ten, awoke at one and couldn't fall back to sleep or interest myself in my Kindle, so got up and did pickup and some light hand washing until three this morning. After tossing about some more, I finally fell back to sleep until just recently about eight am. I will need to really tire myself today to keep this from becoming an issue.

Since I paid out for that deep clean, I have been vigilant in keeping it up as well as using the activity to exercise more. After two years, I am within 20 pounds of my goal and this is a simple way of becoming more active. I had gained over stress and become too comfortable with believing I couldn't do anything about it. I think Sandy has the right of it as I tend to eat clean both for food allergies and to lose more consistently.

Beverly, with the trip, company immediatly after and then Chape's hospitalization, keeping up with the computer should be far down on your list! I hope he is doing better and that you are getting some proper rest. You need to take care of you first sometimes!

Farrah has become very affectionate, very verbal and I wonder if this is her way of cajoling me into thinking she needs her treats? Or am I too cynical? 

Gloria, I am so sorry to hear about your friend, but it is a cautionary tale. I used to walk back and forth to work and other places to save money and because I enjoyed seeing animals and just the walking. I walked seven miles each way to work, twenty or so a day and thought not a thing of it as I couldn't drive due to my disability. Then in 2/2014, I fell onto both knees, hard onto the black ice and all that went away. I  can't walk long without severe tiredness, and I wear lifeline for falls inside my building.

MarsGal, thank you for letting us know about the service dog, I'm glad the two are back together. Interesting about Winnie and his yard patrolling, keeping you safe from marauders!

Larry, I know, I do. Farrah has not understood how I could be so callous to her suffering. She has done some dreaming this past couple of days where she either called out or growled. She has been restless in her sleep as well. I would love to get her some cat furniture, but most are small and start around 38.00 with most averaging around two hundred.

MaryAnn, I cannot believe that Pet Pride would be handing out forty-five dollar mats to those adopting even ones like Sarah and now Farrah. There are different priced ones on the page and the one I have is red with the other side black.

Larry, I just Googled and while dogs were domesticated about 30 thousand years ago and cats only about 10 thousand in the Middle East, it is a relatively short time evolution wise. Also, "There’s a reason cats aren’t called man’s best friend â€" and it’s all in their genes, according to a new study.

Cats are simply not as domesticated as dogs despite sharing households with humans for at least 9,000 years, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine have found.

In fact, the main reason they stick around at all is because they like getting rewards.

Scientists working on the cat genome sequencing project compared the genomes of domestic cats and wild cats to analyze how they differed.

And although they discovered that in certain areas there were significant variations, they concluded that felines are only “semi-domesticated”.'

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/why-cats-will-probably-never-be-as-domesticated-as-dogs-9858889.html

Interesting about sticking around for rewards. Also the cat photo at the head of the page looks very similar to Farrah, hmmmm....

Marilyne, I did not have any explanation of how the MOHS worked, only Larry Hanna mentioned something about layers.  I know in my case, for both my face and the previous one near my eyebrow, the doctor burned something because I could smell it.  I mentioned it to him and he said yes, he was burning something.  Of course, my cheek was numb so I didn't feel a thing.  While I was in the waiting room, I saw several people come back with bandages on various parts of their faces, none in the same place.  I don't recall anyone with a bandage on his/her ear, but I can see why the ear would be affected.  You can tell your husband, that in my case, it is a painless surgery.  I haven't even had any pain since the surgery, but if I press in the area, I can feel it. 

Kendrick has gotten out of the house a few times, and a couple of times was left out over night.  He likes the freedom of outside, but he doesn't appreciate being out all night.  I've said he is not very vocal, but when he is out overnight and Tom turns his light on in the morning, a very vocal cat goes to the window and lets Tom know he wants to come in.  I let the cat out on the deck in the summer for about 10 minutes at a time and that is about as long as he wants to stay there.  I have a fear he will jump through the railing, but so far he has not.  I go out sometimes and sit in the wrought iron rocking chair I have out there, just to keep him company.  He comes and rubs my legs to check on me. 

Kendrick doesn't have many toys and certainly not a favorite.  I did get him a sloping scratch pad from Amazon and the first place he heads for is that scratch pad.  We ordered a couple of replacement pads and they aren't quite long enough to stay in the base.  In summer when he's been on the deck, he comes in and heads down the slope on the pad. 

Mary Ann

Patricia, I'd say the definition in the article fits Kendrick.  He is not cuddly but in his way, I'd say he is affectionate.  He doesn't always want a treat, as night before last, he ignored me when I sat down with the treats.  I put them back and he got them last night.  I know he'd rather rest near me, but there isn't enough room in this room for his bed or something to rest on.  He likes his tower because he's up higher than the floor and he can see a bird fly by.

Mary Ann

Good evening......I shouldn't be tired tonight as I had a 2 hour nap this afternoon, but I am! This morning I played golf with the group and then out to lunch.

On Christmas we had roasted chicken and a spiral sliced ham. It was one of the best hams I've had. Tonight I made chicken soup with the leftover chicken, quite filling as I also add macaroni. 

Larry - Glad your son will be leaving Albany before the storm hits. Vermont and most of northern New England is predicted to have 6 to 12 inches of snow tomorrow.  Chape is doing fine now. He had become dehydrated (too many diuretic pills?) and his kidneys were failing. In just a few days he was back to where he started. His GFR is up to 38, which, for most people is bad, but we're happy with those numbers!

Mary Ann - I had Mohs surgery for a skin cancer on the side of my nose a couple of years ago so have an idea of what you're going through. I had this huge, ugly bandage and even have pictures of it.  Hope you have a good Christmas dinner with Tom and his family.

We are warm for this time of year. It's still 71 outside at 8 p.m.

Have any of you received a wedding invitation via e-mail?  This was a first for me.  Actually, it was everything in "one".  In one place I was asked to RSVP and I was asked if there was someone else who should RSVP.  Since Tom has to get me to Indy, I put in his name.  We were asked about food - chicken, vegetarian, non-gluten.  The registry is there but I couldn't get it to come up; I thought that might be a work in progress.  There was also a story of their meeting and establishing a relationship.  I've known about him for years.  The wedding will be in May.  She is one of Jim's granddaughters, a quad.

Annie is here to do some cleaning for tomorrow.  She does a good job and needs the money.  She hasn't replaced Mary who cleaned for a while, but Annie needs the money more than Mary.  Mary will be asked to return and since she is a friend of Tom's, I think she'll be OK with that. 

We did not get out of the 30s today, however we were at 39 degrees.  It is dry, safe enough for me to walk across the street.  I look both ways before I start out.

Mary Ann

It sounds like we will be like Albany. I just received an under the door note in all caps with lots of exclamation marks.

Heads up!!! 1-2 feet of snow coming?!?

Know where your meds are!
Keep flashlights handy!
Draw up some water just in case!
Offices open if weather permits!
Phone number for maintenance listed!

We in the Arctic are not used to snow and wind and are used to hearing about it further south or from the East in Canada. So if I am absent for awhile, I'll probably be buried under all that snow! 

MaryAnn,  I have had several basal cell skin cancers removed over the past several years.   My doctor recommended a lady plastic surgeon and both times,  I had let it go too long.

It was done in the hospital as an outpatient procedure.  This doctor is wonderful.  She explained everything she was doing all the time.  I did have to wait in between the time they sent different things to the pathology dept.  But, when I was finished,  the only bandage she used was the  little flesh-colored steri-strips.  The stitches stayed in about 2 weeks.  This last time was back in the summer, and I had a place and the stitches went half-way down my cheek almost to my jaw and there were about 30 stitches,  very  tiny and close together.  The lesion that she removed wasn't that long, tho.  When I went back to have them out,  when she was finished, outside of the area being a little red, you could barely see the incision.  And, I didn't have to do anything to it at all. I was able to wear make-up right away and when I told people I had had about 30 stitches down my face, they could hardly believe it.  You can't even see anything now. 

I don't know what the difference is between going to  a dermatologist do this kind of surgery or a plastic surgeon.  She told me that if you have these things looked at right away, usually, it can be taken care of with just a cream.  I know I won't wait as long as I did this time if I have any more places.

I hope you will have good results from your surgery. 

Joy

Joy, thanks for the info about your surgeries.  My dermatologist surgeon is an MD and he may have training as a plastic surgeon.  I only know he uses the MOHS system and my previous surgery in 2005 has no scar.  I can't say I look too good, but I am assured things will improve.  I am impressed that there was no pain at all.

Patricia, I hope you don't get the one to two feet of snow.  We haven't had that much at one time for a good many years.  I know we had blizzards at the end of January/start of February in both 1977 and 1978.   In 1978 because I rode to work with a company supervisor, I was able to get to work, otherwise I would have been off.  Our street had two tracks down the middle and I think only big trucks could get through.  I no longer have to worry about that!  It's good that you have some warning - just in case.

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, there hasn't been a blizzard here in over seventy years. In my 65 years, I can recall two ice storms, in 2005 and in 2006 both of which shut down the entire city. We are so dry that there really isn't any measurable humidity needed for snow and blizzards. Although we have been having intermittent snow for the past week with no accumulation.

Also, the three rings of foothills and four encircling mountain ranges tend to make any wind a rarity here. I guess times are changing and everyone is preparing but not expecting it to actually happen. I remember you talking about those blizzards and getting to work. I also have a friend in Buffalo who sometimes sends me snow photos that are unbelievable!

Stay warm!

Mary Ann - My husband's Moh's surgery will be Feb. 2.  The doctor explained it to him today, and it's done exactly as you described. Plan to spend the day, and go in and out of the surgery room, to the waiting room, etc.  Also other patients will be there all day as well!  So I guess that's the new and efficient way to perform Moh's surgery.  Sort of like an assembly line! LOL 

Larry - I feel bad for Pat, if her sciatica has returned. (You mentioned she was seeing her chiropractor, so I thought maybe that was the reason.)  I usually have about a six month reprieve between bouts.  Generally, mine is triggered by bending over to pick something up off the floor, or twisting myself a certain way to get out of the car.

Marilyne, that's exactly the way I thought it was - an assembly line.  The doctor told me he does that four days a week and sometimes he has enough time for lunch, maybe 5 minutes!

Patricia, weather patterns seem to change and who knows what any of us will get this winter.  We never used to have the temperatures we've had recently.  Fall lasts longer, Spring starts later etc, etc.

We have 36 degrees at 7:45 am and that is warm for this time of year.

Today Tom's kids will be here for our Christmas.  Tom has the menu all planned and I hope he'll be in time to put the turkey breast in the oven.  He wondered about temperature and time and I said I had some cookbooks above the range and he said he'd get the info from the computer.  What is funny is that the cookbook I rely on is now 75 years old.  My mother died in 1941 and one of my aunts gave me the Joy of Cooking for Christmas that year.  I looked up turkey or chicken breasts and the only reference was to individual chicken breasts and turkey breasts were not even mentioned.  I know for holidays we had stuffed chicken so I guess turkeys were not popular then.  My, how things have changed!

Mary Ann