Author: wetleatherdog@gmail.com

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Last Time’s The Charm. I Hope.

I had to meet with my surgeon at Huntsman Cancer Hospital a few days ago for my post-surgery follow-up appointment. I chose to wear a bow tie-covered wood Bow Tie o’ the Day and my “Vaxxed And Masked For Your Protection” Facemask o’ the Day for my brief hospital visit. According to my doctor, I am still not allowed to lift more than 10 pounds for yet another month. Other than that, I passed my evaluation with neon flying colors. My scar is healing well, my pain is receding, and I didn’t lose an unhealthy amount of weight during my ordeal. I thanked my surgeon for her help and skill, and then I told her, “Don’t take it personally, but I hope I never in my life have to see you again!” She completely understood.

BTW Merry birthday to my nearly-elderly nephew, Travis. Even though he’s now a highfalutin’ Stake President, he still freely admits he loves me. As a birthday gift to him, today I will not tell any embarrassing anecdotes about his caped escapades as a child. But trust me—they were legendary. I even saw him fly (in his Batman cape) from the window of a moving $50 Rambler once. But—like I said—for his birthday, I won’t tell that story about him.

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A 2-Bow Tie Salute

TIE-O-THE-DAY gratefully acknowledges Veterans Day. Don’t forget to show your gratitude to the veterans around you, today and always. That’s an order. 🇺🇸

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The Early Bird

Thanksgiving turkey Tie o’ the Day is showing up to gobble at ya a couple of weeks early this year. My Cranky Hanky Panky surgery and subsequent recovery have been made more bearable due to so many people who have sent me their prayers, good vibes, comments, texts, cards, and care packages. I have known some of y’all most of my life. Some of y’all I hardly know at all. Taking your valuable time to reach out to me with your encouragement and concern is nothing short of you taking the time to love your neighbor—me— in the most meaningful of ways. I’m humbled and beyond grateful that so many of you consider me a neighbor-to-be-loved. Thank you, from the bottom of my turkey Tie o’ the Day.

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A Field Trip To The Holiday Dog Toys

Post-surgery, I’m spending so much time napping, nodding off, and dozing lately that I haven’t been getting out of the house much. I am now trying to get in the car and haul out of the neighborhood at least once a day, even if it’s only for an hour. Here I am browsing in the shops at Station Park on Saturday. I chose to wear a snarky, conspiratorial Face Mask o’ the Day for the brief outing. You are also witnessing a rarity of a Bow Tie o’ the Day in this selfie: a solid-color bow tie, and in gold. Two things you can count on me usually NOT wearing are solid colors and/or the color gold. It is my not-humble opinion that solid colors don’t try hard enough to entertain people, and the color gold tries too hard to be oh-so important. But some days you just have to step out of your comfort zone and do something not-you. It makes you relate to the world differently, and it makes the world see you in a slightly different light. The discomfort of wearing something which is not-you helps you remember who your deepest soul really is, and it’s certainly important that you never forget what your singular soul is all about. After all, you’re the only you we all have. Don’t betray yourself by trying to be somebody else.

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#graceotheday

Y’all can see the Divine Miss Grace is related to me. She was all bows-up as Minnie Mouse for Halloween. She rocks her Bow Ties o’ the Day like a pro. President Travis and President-ette Collette are obviously still teaching Gracie The Way o’ the Bow, and I am one proud grand-aunt.

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Official Merch

I have spent most days in my pajamas since my surgery. I guess you could say pajamas are the designated, official uniform o’ My 2021 Pancreas Surgery Recovery. Likewise, this bandage tie is the official Tie o’ the Day o’ My 2021 Pancreas Surgery Recovery.

FYI Y’all are well aware of the padded section of bandages. Well, my bandage tie has padding in that spot too. It is thick and cushy.

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Grocery Shopping, Solo

I chose to wear a painted wood Bow Tie o’ the Day and a leafy Face Mask o’ the Day for my first solo trip to the grocery store since surgery. Of course, I picked up some ice cream. I also spent a significant amount of time perusing the Christmas candy aisle, as you can see here. My shopping powers are somewhat limited for another couple of weeks, since my doctor has forbidden me to lift anything more than 10 pounds yet—including a bag of groceries that already has a tub of ice cream in it. I was disciplined about buying Christmas candy: I can honestly say I did not buy more than 10 pounds of it. But if I feel the need, I can always make another 10-lb candy run tomorrow. I’m so bored from sitting around recovering that it’s a very real possibility I will do exactly that.

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TMI: Because Some Readers Want To See Way Too Much

Long-time readers of TIE O’ THE DAY might remember that I presented a few scar updates after my first surgery, three years ago. Over the past couple of weeks, I have had requests from some of these over-inquisitive souls to see the scar from my latest—and final, I hope—gutting. The horizontal scar on my belly is from my first operation, and it measures just over 5 inches. My newly acquired scarry, scarry incision runs vertically from my belly button to my sternum and measures in at a whopping 7 inches. Note: I definitely prefer getting tattoos over getting scars.