One Last Bike Ride Before Surgery

 

WOO HOO! Looks like Lisa and I will be able to get in one last bike ride today. My surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning, but I haven’t been told the exact time yet.

 

I hope to heck we can avoid driving up to Seattle at rush hour. But if we can’t, we’ll just drive up super early, park, and find a place for Lisa to get coffee while we wait for my check-in time.

 

This is beginning to feel very real to me.  I slept like a baby last night, though because I’m waaaay ahead of myself in time mentally, already envisioning looking and feeling about 20 pounds lighter (in a single day!) and having my apron disappear. I’ll deal with whatever pain and discomfort it takes to achieve that and the reality that I will no longer have to worry about “apron rash” ever again.  That was one of the bonuses of having my chest masculinized, too. It’s a much better world with fewer “cling-ons” to cause stinky, oozing rashes!!!   (TMI, I know. I’ll stop now!)

 

I was tempted to spell that “Klingons” but some of my best friends have been Klingons!! (Thorsten Walch, actor Bill Campbell, security guards at various Star Trek conventions, etc.), so I’m far from anti-Klingon!  IDIC, man!!

 

I don’t know if we’ll be going all the way to Buckley today or just to South Prairie. Lisa didn’t bring her biking duds along and riding in jeans is harder.  I’m waiting to see if she wants me to drive to her place and get the riding pants and maybe some overnight pajamas and clothes for tomorrow in case she decides to stay here tonight so we can leave from here tomorrow instead of her having to get up even earlier to drive here before we head up to Seattle together.

 

We have new helmets to try out today

 

Lisa has been wearing a helmet that didn’t fit well, so we stopped by Dick’s Sporting Goods and found her one that fits perfectly. I got a new one, too, because mine has been dropped on the ground a time or two (or three or four) and it has some chips in it.  Any time a helmet gets dropped, it should be replaced.  (I’ll take pictures of the new helmets on us and put them here tonight.)

 

Going for laughs…

Ahhh… that’s better!

Mine has the yellow on it…

 

 

I’ve prepared the critters’ needs for the long haul

 

This morning first thing, I scooped the litter pans and added lots of new litter to them.

 

I also scrubbed out the goat’s watering containers using salt and water to make sure any starting algae was all gone and won’t be coming back any time soon, because I won’t be able to lift them to empty and clean them again for at least two weeks and probably closer to four, so I wanted to make sure they stay as pristine as possible so Lisa won’t have to do them more than a couple of times for me.  (Not that she would mind — she’s a goat-er like I am!!! — but I hate asking friends to pinch hit for me…)

 

Jackie (my sis) has a habit of mowing the lawn about every four days (she loves the golf course look) and some of the errant grass always lands in two of the goats’ three watering troughs, so this morning I relocated them so that can’t happen again (unless she mows during a windstorm–which she would never do since we have some tall trees around here). That will help a bunch! I never minded refreshing the water every few days when I was able-bodied, but I won’t be for a few weeks, so now is the time to correct the concern so Lisa doesn’t have to deal with it as often as she would otherwise.  Goats are finicky about having clean, clear water.  (Who can blame them? So am I!)

 

I will do an aquarium tank cleaning (not a total cleaning) later today so the water in there won’t need big changes while I’m laid up and unable to lift more than a liter bottle.

 

I’ve been walking every day since I stopped biking

 

I’ve been walking between raindrops every day since the last bike ride, so I’m staying active as best I can until surgery.  I’m in good shape for tomorrow, that’s for sure!

 

I may blog again tonight, unless Lisa stays the night, but if I don’t, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers for tomorrow (those of you who pray).  I will let you know as soon as possible on the other side of surgery how I’m getting along.

 

Lisa will keep you in the loop between now and then. She’ll post updates on my Facebook page…

 

Until then–wish us well on our last bike ride before I go under the knife!