Knockout-Whist, Someday Bridge?

January 30, 2018

Dear Noah and Dylan,

Howdy! For the first time, I am up to date on this journal, writing directly into the blog instead of transcribing older entries from my paper notebook. It was so good to see you and your dad on Saturday. I really needed the cheering up since last week I fractured my femur just above knee where ligament is attached, possibly tore ligament. Won't know until they do an MRI and I'm waiting patiently for that to be scheduled. I fell in at the vets on this horribly icy day. Was bringing Frida to get her stitches out after her knee surgery. My knee was already in bad shape from a pre new years injury. I was going to physical therapy for that, also to the warm water pool for stretches and loving that, getting better, too!!! And then CATAPLUM! (as they say in Spanish) I had worn my Katoola ice grips on my boots to the vet, but didn't put them back on when I left the vet, assuming the parking lot was sanded pretty well. The back door was frozen when I went to put Frida in so I stepped around to the back of the car...where it had not been sanded sufficiently and there I went, agonizing pop in my left knee and on the ground unable to get up, waving my arms around hoping to get the attention of someone inside to come help me. I finally used my cell phone (a good use of electronics) and called them to come help. One week later, I'm in home rehab, waiting for further diagnosis and treatment. Yesterday I had to get a CT scan to see if the chemo has beaten down the second occurrence of the ovarian cancer. Will find out results next week. My theme song is "Staying alive!" I AM lucky i didn't whack my head which really would have sucked. There is always someone worse off or something worse that can happen no matter how bad things seem sometimes. And I am lucky i have wonderful friends that are able and willing to help me out and keep up my spirits. Joe is at work today so I have a lineup of people to come help me with lunch and a few basic things that are hard from a wheel chair.
   You three amigos provided much needed laughs and of course, a very challenging game of Knock-out Whist! I'm impressed how well you both did since you are still learning about trump (not the president Trump) AND you took losing in stride, much more emotionally mature than previous games where you've been too upset about not winning. As Noah said, "I just move on." Dylan of course won a game so he was riding high on that. But win or lose, the four of us had very close games and it was fun!! Your dad said the two of you were playing in the backseat of the car later. :-)
    I hope card games and maybe someday Whist and/or Bridge will be something that you will want to play and learn. I have a collection of card decorations, mostly bridge memorabilia from the 50's when everyone seemed to play Bridge! It is all in Grandma's secretary drawers that are yours when I move to the Moon if you want any of it.   ;-)   I thought I would open a bridge club one day or a card club and have a showcase to display some of the really cool stuff like the really old Whist boards. Some of that stuff is up in the loft on that bookcase. I pretty much gave up on that idea and donated my prints of the King and Queen of Hearts to the Amesbury bridge club. Now, I just want to play when I can. Was going to go to a tournament in Cromwell CT Feb 13 for a few days, by myself, but cancelled today thinking that it would be way to hard to maneuver around by myself and be in a hotel room alone with Uncle Joe and the dogs!
   Hoping I can do the weekend we have planned together at East Hill Farm Feb 10. If surgery gets scheduled before, that would cancel that for me anyway.
xoxoxo
 PS, Here's a few definitions you both wrote when we played the Dictionary game at Thanksgiving.  I saved a couple.
-Stercoraceous- a zone that has a strict policy of farting and drinking with pickles on your stomach while naked in the rain forest
-ev zone -  a sea poop from Noah the parting midget
-jumna- a belly button in Spanish
-jumna- a warrior whilst his leg in battle