Tomorrow my arthritic Knee will be replaced with a titanium marvel.
It's not exactly the start to the festive tidings I had imagined for the year. When I look at the alternative to being home on disability, i.e. driving all over the metro area and upstate and taking double depositions all day, returning and prepping for the next day, and then staying up till midnight typing the reports, I must say that this December is a win-win.
A tree has been secured and is in a bucket by the side porch. I managed to bring up from the basement a big raffia woven gold star and the three Christmas platters from the gorgeous, now discontinued, Christmas folk art dishes that Mr. Pom gave me twenty years ago. I have laid in several boxes of Orea thins (mint flavor) for my post-recovery recuperation.
The rest of the festivities will be up to somebody else.
I have positioned a large picnic basket by the floor on the side of the bed. It contains magazines, watercolor travel palette, a small Stillman and Birns soft cover landscape format w/c journal and large Kunst & Papier red binder board w/c journal, as well as way too many assortments of pens, pencils, brushes, etc.
Mr. Pom trips over it every morning when he kisses me good bye.
I purchased a French press, electric water kettle, and a bag of Starbucks Christmas blend. The art room is the coffee bar. All I need is for Mr. Pom to bring a thermos of milk and some toast, and I have breakfast.
Since this is the second knee replacement, we are very organized and know what to expect.
(Repulsive side note: Al Roker just had a knee replacement. I saw a commercial for the Today Show and Dr. Oz was showing a titanium knee and next to it was Al Roker's ACTUAL KNEE. Looked like something the dog dug up in the woods. Eww is all I have to say.)
I have also purchased suitable pajamas and robe for the hospital, possible rehab stay, and any physical therapists that will be coming to the house as well as visitors (who are strictly limited to children, grandbaby, and sisters). The old yoga pants with the unraveling elastic and baggy t-shirts I usually wear to bed were deemed unsuitable for third party viewing.
Unfortunately, I have already binge-watched every cable and subscriber format series I want to see (The Fall, Gilmore Girls, Vera, Great British Baking (make sure you watch Paul and Mary Master Class for Christmas with a tub of whipped cream in your lap). Funny to think that for the last surgery five years ago, I secured oodles of DVDs like Room With a View and Enchanted April. We still have them but we don't have a DVD player anymore except on the first floor. And, like all my scarves and art supplies the DVDS are Packed to Move even though we have yet to even LIST the house.
But no fear, there are issues of Flow, Uppercase, Lucky Peach, Cherry Bombe, and a bunch of Japanese ones I purchased on the reco of Mary Ann Moss and although they are in Japanese they have pretty pictures.
On a more serious note, while home these few weeks, I have discovered that I can no longer paint. Nope. Nada. Can't do it. I have an entire Stillman and Birns journal filled with grainy, blobby, clumsy attempts that I then collaged over because I couldn't stand looking at them every time I opened it. I intended to show them to you, but it is after 9:00 p.m. and I still have to "sterilize prep" my knee before I go to bed.
Have no fear, though, I have worked through the art block. I am back to painting fruit and veggies which I find a very good starter when life has interrupted your art making. All those organic shapes and rich colors.
I still didn't know what to do with the double spread of red, white, and blue "H" icons for Hillary. Too painful to see, so I pulled out some gorgeous 2015 letter press calendar cards I'd saved and pasted them right on top.
If all goes well, I will pop in on FB and IG over the weekend whilst in between visits every four hours with my friends Ocycontin and Tramadol.
And nobody better eat my cookies while I'm in the hospital!
