# 22

Tomorrow I go in for surgery - again. I'm having a massive ventral hernia repair with an abdominoplasty and abdominal muscle tightening. This will be the 22nd time I've had surgery and it won't be my last. There is a 3rd hip replacement around the corner for me. God willing I'll be able to wait a year or so before I have to have the procedure.

I'm told this surgery will take 5 to 7 hours. I'm not really nervous about the surgery in itself. I have complete confidence in my Surgeon, Dr. M. Hares. But I'm *VERY* nervous about the pain control afterwards. Morphine just doesn't do it for me. I envy those people that can say they breezed through their first few post-op days by pushing the pain control button. I can push it until the cows come home and I'll still be registering a 9 out of 10 on the pain scale. But, the end results will be the demise of *Hester Hernia* and for the first time in my life - a flat tummy. :)

Lovely Rita Pita Bread

Is it possible to love someone *too much*. Oh, I don't think so....

Lovely Rita Pita Bread is my daughter, Jenny. She is more than anyone could ever ask for in a daughter. She is my *best friend*. Since she was a toddler I've had many pet names for her and to this day, I continue to add to that list. Just some of the names I call her are, Nee-Nee-Fer, Neefs, Martha, Angel Baby, Jenny Penny, and most recently, Justine. Lovely Rita Pita Bread has become a favorite of ours. At first it was just "Rita". She's such a huge Beatles fan that we added the rest. She always knew she was in hot water when I'd call her "Mary Elizabeth Kathleen". A friend of hers once asked why I call her so many names. I told her it's because I have so much love for her that it's impossible to give it to just one name.

Jenny is the scientist in the family. She recently graduated from EMU with a Biology major and has only a few more classes to take in Chemistry to have a double major. She plans to attend grad school when the timing is right for her. Jenny absolutely loves to learn and I in turn have learned so much from her.

We both love Broadway musicals. Among my fondest memories is of the two of us dancing through the house and singing with sheer joy to the tunes of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat".

Jenny is a passionate feminist and a volunteer at the Women's Safe House in Ann Arbor. Bless her heart, there are some nights when she's *on call* that she goes into work with just a few hours of sleep. She never complains. She feels empowered by her volunteer work - she knows she's making a difference when she goes to the homes of victims of abuse and counsels them. I can only imagine how grateful these poor women and yes, sometimes men, must be by her presence. I admire my daughter so very much.

Is it possible to love someone *too much*. Oh, I don't think so.

"There is no other closeness in human life like the closeness between a mother and her daughter - chronologically, physically, and spiritually they are just a few heartbeats away from being the same person."
Susan Cheever

My first Musings

Where do I begin....

Well I guess a little bit about me is a good way to start. I was born in Wolverhampton, England and I guess that's where I got my *green thumb*. We sailed the Atlantic on the final voyage of the "Franconia" in 1955. My father had immigrated to Canada before us to find work and a place for us to live. My Mother, myself and my sister, Ann followed several months later. We settled in Ontario in the picturesque town of Stratford where my dear sister, Rosaleen was born. Eventually we had a little "Bed and Breakfast" for the Shakespearian Festival visitors. My father's job moved us to the Detroit, Michigan area when I was 13.

After one failed marriage, I am now very happily married to Greg, a wonderful musician, who has his own R&B/Oldies band - FLASHBACK. I have a son 28, and one daughter 24. More about them later. My parents are still with us. Mom is 77 and Daddy is 84. We all live within 20 minutes of each other. We have no other family in the U.S. so thankfully we are a close knit family.