Oh the Wonders of Anesthesia!

My husband, who shall remain nameless, but whose initials are Rick Crosby, had surgery on his old, decrepit knee on Tuesday this week. He’s been wearing a knee brace to play hockey for eight or nine years, ever since a catastrophic skiing day with our family in Canada. Finally two weeks ago, he completely tore his ACL and limped even with the brace on until this week.  Now he snores on the couch while his polar pack keeps his elevated knee nice and chilly.

The night after surgery is ALWAYS entertaining with this man. I should know. This is surgery #5 for us. Our children found his erratic comments highly entertaining and I scribbled them down as fast as I could so we could read them to him in the morning…. AND for your reading pleasure today. Here you go!

(He is wearing a full-leg support stocking on the non-hurt leg.) “Why is my white leotard dirty? Lin, how come it’s dirty?” I explained that he kneeled on the floor in the van to get his heavily medicated self into the vehicle for the ride home. “Well that carpet in the van is FILTHY!” (Not really.) I told him that we have another one that is clean for him to put on later. “Oh! I have two pair. Is it two pair or two pairs? Two pair. Two pairs. Do you know, Lin?” (He only has one pair.)

(To our two teenage boys) “What did you guys do today? … I had surgery!” (No duh!)

I asked Rick if he needed some pillows to prop himself up. “Yeah, some pillows or a hockey bag.” (How comfortable!)

“Lin, are you getting my pain pills at CSV?” (It’s called CVS.)

“Can I have some more pizza?” I explained that he couldn’t because he was supposed to take eating slowly after surgery. “I am going slow! It took me forever to eat those two pieces!”

(While I’m at the store….) “Nora, just bring me a piece of pizza and I will pay you a dollar. Your mom’s gone. She won’t know.” (Nice!)

(We were having a party dinner for Nora because it was her Gotcha Day, four years since she joined our family.) “How come everything is purple?”

(Nora started opening her gifts.) “What is taking her so long?” (It had been eight seconds.) “Someone help her!… Keeve, help your sister!… Is she almost done opening her birthday presents?”

(Nora opened a purple headband.) “Is that a halter top?” (Oh my!)

I wanted to take a picture of Nora and her Daddy for Gotcha Day. When I finished, Rick asked, “Who else wants to get their picture taken with me?” Both boys said, “No, I’m good!” Rick yelled, “Keeve get over here!” So we have pictures of the boys both laughing so hard as they get their pictures taken with him.

“I’m really hungry. I haven’t eaten for 20 hours.” I reminded him of the two pieces of pizza he just ate and told him to drink his water. “I will! Holy smokes, this straw is HUGE!”

“Hey…. um… are the Oilers playing tonight?” (Edmonton Oilers, his favorite hockey team.) Austin replied sarcastically, “Yes, and the score is two to three and Gretzky just scored!” (Gretzky hasn’t played on the Oilers since the early 90s.) “The Oilers SUCK this year!” (He would NEVER say this, even though it’s true.)

I suggested that Nora go share a purple Tic-Tac with her father. “Yeah, I won’t choke. I’m good!” (Sure you are, honey!)

“What day is it?” Tuesday. “It’s cheap night at the theaters!” (You’re not going anywhere, Superman.)

“What year is it?” Austin, again, sarcastically answers, 1987. “Hey, that’s the year I got married.” Then he looked around at the three kids with this confused look on his face and said, “I must have had insta-kids!”

Our daughter called from Oklahoma to enjoy the festivities surrounding anesthesia. Her father explained all about Lady Mary Crawley from Downton Abbey and how she is the tall one with dark hair who is grieving because her husband died. (WOW!)

Then our daughter’s boyfriend got on the phone and Rick asked when he is coming to visit. He replied December 26th. “Oh! Boxing Day! That’s the day before wrestling day, but you’re not supposed to do that until you’re married!” (What in the world???? I apologize on his behalf, John.)

And the entire night he kept asking, “WHAT is so funny?”  You are, dear. You just can’t make this stuff up!

Greetings from Bloomfield, NM

And THAT is why I haven’t posted this week… I’ve been gone… and busy.  I came to Bloomfield to speak at a Fashion Share put on by my friend Darla’s Mom’s church.  The day was a great success with ladies luncheoning on fabulous salads, rolls and cobblers, shopping for new-to-you clothes and listening to special music and speakers.  I was blessed to be included and loved meeting the ladies. FUN with a capital F.

This area is simply beautiful right now with the leaves changing to bright yellow and the air being crisp and clean.  I know it is nice at home in Phoenix too FINALLY, but not like THIS.  There was frost all over this morning.  Ah.  That’s it.  Just Ah.

The flight up here was highly entertaining as I sat next to Kenadee, the four year old who never stopped talking unless she was shoving peanuts in her mouth.  Thankfully she is darling and I enjoyed the interaction on the one hour flight.  (I may have had a different opinion on a much longer flight.) One morning here at her grandma’s house I was fixing some toast for her and her sister and she told me, “You’re just like a real mom!”  Wow!  I’ve made it!  A REAL mom. 

I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned that my mother just had knee replacement surgery 10 days ago. So we’ve also been busy helping up at her house cooking, replacing ice packs, pulling on support hose, etc. etc. etc.  Thankfully, my sister Christy flew in from Washington to help while I was here… and thankfully she’ll still be there for four days after I get home.  Sisters (who like each other) should not live three states apart. 

I look forward to getting home.  Two trips in three weeks was a bit much for me and our haphazard homeschooling this past month.  THAT is why we started two weeks earlier this year, so I wouldn’t feel guilty about leaving.  But it didn’t work.  We started two weeks earlier, but I still feel guilty about lame schooling.  It’s kind of like home schooling, only lamer.