December means....

 ....my scans are next week.

I'm actually feeling a bit hopeful and excited about them, this time....even though I have been having random pains in the liver/gallbladder area.

When those pains happened years ago, Doc said it was probably just "sludge in the gallbladder," and it just went away eventually. 

I chatted with my nurse a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, and she checked with Doc, and they were not alarmed, due to the fact that the pains are random, and fleeting.  

If it were something more serious, I guess there would probably be constant discomfort.  Most of the time, I don't even think about it, because it's not happening.

I just hope I don't end up needing gallbladder surgery or some craziness.  

This past week was REALLY long, after our cabin retreat...but the good part was that my boss, and several of my wo workers, were off for most of the week.

Yeah, I can only get ONE day off at Thanksgiving, and NO days off in December (except for my scans), but they can take multiple days...at both holidays.... what the hell ever.  I have no recourse, and just have to tolerate it. Dead. Horse...I know... sorry.... It still makes me mad.

Anyway, so many people being off actually made my week easier.  No pressure from the boss's scrutiny, and no ability to do parts of my job that rely on others.... so I just took it easy and logged the hours.

Yesterday, Dave and I went to the Chef's Store on the south side of town, and got a few inexpensive utensils to add to our cabin camping box.  Now, the only household items we will need to pack when we go (which we might start doing at different parks, at different times of year, to check them out), will be the pots/pans, dishes, and silverware.   Everything else will be pre-packed in the cabin camping kit!

SO, yesterday we got:  spatula, whisk, cutting board, can opener, basting brush, cork screw, and chef knife!

Also, this past week, my brother generously sent us another of the little, boneless Virginia hams for our Christmas Eve holiday.

They're totally not the same at the whole ham, but there is seriously no way I can afford a $200.00, 13 - 15 pound whole ham anymore!  

The price of the whole hams has SKYROCKETED, and with only 3 people coming over anymore (due to Eric and his wife being completely estranged), it's just not worth the cost and effort, and the waste!  We would end up throwing away SO much ham!

BUT these little boneless ones have the same flavor, and are the real thing, which is SO important to my family. 

Last year was so hard, being isolated, and trying to just visit on zoom.   This year, I have invited the usual three friends.

We are all vaccinated, and have our boosters, and have been being careful for almost two years.

There will be a Christmas Eve gathering around my table, and my heart is happy.

Errands and getting lunch out took us LITERALLY all day yesterday.  There was so much traffic, and the places that we stopped at were all crowded and busy.

As a result, we didn't get all of the things we wanted to do around the house accomplished, so that will be happening today.

AND, I am getting my first massage since July!  I need it SO much.  My therapist is also fully vaxxed and boosted, and wears a mask.

Happy December, have a good week, and I will post about the scan results IF I get them before next weekend!