Total yay for your mom, Barb! My mom has had both knees done, and it isn't pretty. Glad to hear it went so well. Just make sure she does the rehab! It's seriously imperative.

I am closer to Juliana's mother than I ever was to my bio-mom.

My parents would adopt you anytime, babe. They love my friends like they love me, for real. My dad once called in sick for one of my friends when she was having a horrible day.

I am closer to Juliana's mother than I ever was to my bio-mom.

She's still waiting on your visit up to the Frozen North!

Well crapdoodle. It appears that my sitting at my desk for eleven hours may have had some consequences. After I showered, I noticed that one side of my incision looked irritated and was tender to the touch. An hour later and it's definitely progressed past irritated and on to oozing. At least the ooze is mostly clear so I've slathered it with Neosporin and put a bandage over it.

I'll call the doc in the morning.

Good idea, Barb. It should be okay, given what you described, but definitely call.

Are your stitches going to dissolve? Or are they already gone?

Barb, ouch!

Juliana, it's on The List. And the thank-you note she sent me in February makes me smile every time I read it.

Amy, awwwwww.

My bio-mom might've been untenable, but I've had superlative surrogates throughout my life.

I had internal dissolving stitches with the external incision being held closed with Steri-Strips. The last of those came off over the weekend and everything looked so good, dammit-- and I SAW the freakin' doctor for my post-op checkup on MONDAY.

ARGH.

Eep, Barb. I hope by morning things have resettled.

Jumping ahead to post this [link] to a picture they were talking about on NPR on my way home.

There is an abandoned schoolbook repository in Detroit where thousands, perhaps millions of books are sitting, rotting in the wind and rain and snow coming in through the broken windows.

In the top picture, if you look closely, there is a tree growing from out of a pile of books.

Poetic, yet sad.

Lillian's fonder of Paul. He's more fun than I am, and less prone to retreating into his own head. But I'm the fixer of sorrow and needs, or something.

Oh yes, I resemble this remark. Dylan loves both of us, but he'll start asking for Daddy when he plays with me long before he'll do the reverse.

I was out for drinks with co-workers tonight (one is getting married this Sunday) and apparently missed Dylan giving my Baby Death doll kisses on the lips.

missed Dylan giving my Baby Death doll kisses on the lips.

Awww! As long as it doesn't continue for another 10-12 years or with, you know, actual Death.