July was quite action packed. First, there was really great trip to Rochester and we had SO much fun! Then later on, I got to go to a Mary Kay Seminar and ride to Dallas with some of most bestest galpals. Yay! Two other things got started that same month that are still going on right now...
The first one was this built-in bookcase that was put in by the previous owner (that should have been our first clue--their attempt at bathroom remodeling cost us almost 10 grand last year after trying to figure out just what they did wrong in there for more than a decade) that collapsed while I was in Dallas and damaged the cabinets below it as well as the wall where it was hanging. I never liked the way that paneling was done on that wall and took this unfortunate event as my cue to make that wall more to my liking while the bookcase was down getting repaired. While attempting that, I did something to my shoulder and I am still feeling it even now. The fumes from the paint were also getting to me since it was still so hot I did not dare to open windows, so I decided to call in my wonderful home remodel/repair guy to bail me out of my mess. He was planning on scheduling my little job between the big job he was wrapping up when I called and another one coming up soon which did not yet have all of his permits cleared so I could have my family room back put back together in time to do Mary Kay Holiday Open Houses before Thanksgiving. Then his wife took a nasty spill from one of their horses during the time that he was supposed to be here and he did not want to leave her all alone out in the country where they live until she was a little further along on the road to recovery, so my family room, hallway, guest room and dining room still looks a lot like a tornado aftermath even now, but how could I be upset with such a caring fellow?
The other thing that happened was this little problem that I had just been putting up with for a good while now started causing me more problems in adjacent areas while I was in Dallas, so as soon as I got back, I asked my doctor for a referral to a specialist to evaluate the situation and find out what could be done. (In addition to the shoulder stuff, I am also seeing a corneal specialist in Houston every month and my local eye guy every other week, too, so for the last several months, I have felt like most of my  waking hours have been spent in some doctor's office waiting room!) After testing and evaluation, the specialist told me that things had gone beyond the point where much besides surgery would fix it but the good news was that it is a fairly low risk and short recovery procedure. Then she asked me what I wanted to do. The surgery she recommended was the same thing that my younger cousin was saying did her so much good when we visited at the reunion the year before last and that made me a bit less apprehensive about the whole thing. I decided to go for it before the deductible amounts on our insurance went back to zero, this doctor left for her vacation, the hospitals get filled up flu cases, daughter's wedding was demanding my attention (note to self: pick out mother of bride dress asap!) and my Mary Kay holiday sales (already picking up!) started gobbling up the rest of my time, so it was done early yesterday morning and I was home in time for hubby to fix me a nice late brunch. Then daughter and her intended came over to fix us spaghetti, son, mother in law and brother in joined us, stayed for a game of Scrabble after and the drugs they gave me are still doing their job, so things are looking pretty good for me right now!
If anyone was wondering why I hadn't been around much, now you know...