+17 DAYS

In the past, the "blue moon" on August 31 would have signified a kind of New Year's Eve for me. For much of my life this  had been the Back-to-School week, as a student then a teacher then a professor then a trainer then a partner. On top of that, 4 guys in our extended family have birthdays in September ----- on the 4th, 7th, 10th, and 21st (did I miss anyone out there?). New beginnings all around.

The biggest local annual event finished up today ---- the 25th Salmon Spectacular fishing derby. 5,000 fishers registered and we saw hundreds of them from our deck. There's daily entertainment in the Big Tent, from famous fiddlers to bigtime bingoes. Pat even bumped into that  kid from Stratford (he seemed kind of 2-dimensional!). Back home, my dietitian stuffed green peppers instead of turkey.

Today is day 17 since my surgery. A week ago I had lost my appetite and 10 pounds, but today the appetite is back and so are 2 of those pounds. There are good days and bad days ---- I do walking and breathing exercises easily but I can get really really weak. The worst is the lack of sleep ---- sometimes an hour or three a night, sometimes none. In the full-moon light I can be seen wandering the house, like The Zombie On The Hill. A grim, wiped-out feeling til dawn.

My chest area has become very sensitive, tender, and prickly like hundreds of bee stings when I move. We think it's due to the sternum bone knitting back together. The outer visible incisions are healing well and I have a follow-up appointment this Wednesday. Happy New Year, I hope...