Witty & Wise Ties, Trivia & Lies
ALERT!!! Morbid, but funny anecdote ahead. Bow Tie o’ the Day was present when I told Suzanne that if I die during surgery, I apologize that we just spent $2,000 on my hearing device I will have had for only a month. You know from these posts that I find a joke everywhere. Life is difficult, and funniness helps. I do take serious things seriously. There are times when things get so heavy you have to scream. And there are times when a joke can lighten a burdensome fear. 🙀 🤣
Yup, Bow Tie o’ the Day was at STANZA last night. (This pic’s a copycat of last week’s photo here.) I dressed “black tie,” making it a formal affair. My hat’s zippy color added a touch of clash to my clashy-fashiony self. While driving to/from the restaurant, we sang along to The Lumineers’ CLEOPATRA cd, in its entirety. That’s my kind o’ opera! I’m thankful Suzanne forgives my hazmat singing voice. 🎼 Geez! When I really think about it, I’m thankful she forgives me for a lot of things. 😁 💿
Colonel Sanders Bow Tie o’ the Day and I hate waiting, even when surgery is only 2 weeks away. I’m a tough broad, like my Sister Who Wishes To Remain Nameless, but I admit I’m kinda scared. (Not scared of the surgery itself, cuz I’ll be asleep. 🤡) To distract myself from thinking about the seriousness of the operation, I’m listing things I’ll need/want in the hospital. Notebooks, pens, books, Skitter, a DNR, etc. One thing I am NOT packing is a bra! Ah, the pure, blissful freedom of being bra-less! 🗒 🖋
Bow Tie o’ the Day and I have two weeks before I’m on an operating table, so I’m making a “Surgery Bucket List.” (I’m not being morbid.) What do I want to do before Knife Day? I mean– I have no idea how long I’ll be out of commission. Heck, I might miss summer activities altogether. So far, my list reads: Eat at STANZA. Do an hours-long bike ride. Eat at STANZA again. Swim every day. Play on Antelope Island. Eat at STANZA again. My list will certainly grow. 📋 😸
Surgery happens Thursday, June 28th @ Huntsman. I’m sure you’re worried TIE O’ THE DAY will cease tblogging along while I’m in the hospital. Don’t worry your pretty, little tie hearts. I’m teaching Suzanne how to post to the website if/when I can’t. See, I know what’s important to us all, and tie tales top our list. I’m selecting ties for the hospital stay, and they are not excited about staying in there. But they’ll enjoy eating my hospital jello and playing with the ever-present liquid soap pumps. 🥄 🏥 🛌
Sometimes, a single bow tie isn’t enough. Bow Tie o’ the Day is perfect for such times. I counted over 100 bow ties– front, plus back– on this piece. Groups of bow ties are called “schools,” just like with fish. I took this little school of bow ties on an end-of-year field trip to have lunch with Suzanne at the park near her office– where we romped around on the playground equipment. Bow Tie and I monkey around enough that it was nice to have actual monkey bars. 🐒 🍫 🍫
Tie o’ the Day reminds me that life is about putting together puzzles. We’ve gotta figure out how to fit our roles, and we must solve tricky situations, some of which we created with our own choices. Sometimes we lose the puzzle pieces we most need. Or someone hides pieces to frustrate us. When we find a lost piece, we add it to the puzzle picture. 4,015 days (11 years) ago today, I stopped drinking. The next day, on the kitchen floor, I found a random puzzle piece. It was symbolic of my starting point toward clearer completion. 😌 😯 🔐
PANCREATICODUODENECTOMY. That’s what my upcoming operation is officially called. Sounds like a type of dinosaur to me. Bike tire Bow Tie o’ the Day is learning to spell it. I guess the surgery is as big of a deal as its name is long. We still haven’t been able to get it scheduled. Apparently, it could happen in two weeks or in a couple of months. I’m impatient about this. And it’s on my mind constantly. Worst of all, you’ll get tons of posts about the entire, tedious process. 🚵♀️ 🤒
Bow Tie o’ the Day is learning a fact: Scheduling surgery requires making sure the following are in order: First, Is Mom’s care covered for that day, and for the recovery time? Second, When can Suzanne be off work for a few weeks, for when I come home? Third, When will the ties be ready? Fourth, When’s the surgeon’s schedule open? All of these considerations must converge. So far, they have not. Maybe I can just schedule a magician to slice me in half and do the operation. 🎩 🐇
Bow Tie o’ the Day’s spending Sunday afternoon hangin’ with the in-laws. It’s a wee bit too chilly to cannonball into the pool, but it’s never too chilly to feast and catch up with family. A while back, Mom and I were sitting in the living room, not even chatting, and she said, “I want you to tell Suzanne’s parents how much I appreciate how good they’ve always been to you.” I told them. I was grateful to pass along Mom’s thanks. I was taught to appreciate appreciation. 👏