All I want for Christmas

I’ve been off the painkillers for awhile now. Still doing the exercises every day. My shoulder doesn’t seem any better except that it doesn’t hurt like it used to. I’m not testing it by lifting stuff or trying to throw. That’s the big thing that Dr. Andrews said. No matter what it feels like, don’t test it or I could mess up all the careful work he did to repair it.

He said it’s like glue. It’ll hold strong if you wait for it to bond. I just have to wait for my body to heal and then it will be strong again. It’s been forty-nine days. It’ll be another forty-one before I can raise my arm again. And then only half-way. But every step moves me forward.

It’s Christmas Eve. And I am in Buffalo. It’s cold here but not nearly as bad as I was expecting. I’m sorry, I’m a Texas gal and I was sure I’d turn into solid ice the moment I stepped out of the airport. But it’s not like that. It’s kinda like a walk-in freezer except you walk out. And snow is oh so much prettier than I expected. I’m spending Christmas with the Johnsons. All of them, not just Larry. Thunder and Timmy are here, too. It’s my first Christmas away from home.

This afternoon, Larry took me to Niagara Falls. The sight took my breath away. Mist from the Falls coats the nearby trees, wrapping them in sparkling coats of ice several inches thick. There are glistening icicles hanging from the wall of rocks that line the gorge and mounds of ice and snow completely cover large boulders at the base of the Falls. Even if you don’t like the winter, it is a beautiful sight to see. And I think I might like winter.

Yesterday evening, I learned a new card game. It’s a gambling game called “cribbage” and it’s for 2, 3 or 4 players. In a four-player game, there are two teams of partners but in a three player game it’s everyone for themselves. So Larry and I lost a number of games to Timmy and Thunder while I was getting the hang of it. It’s weird, some things are 15, some are 31 and pairs and stuff matter as well as the suit of any jacks. You keep score on a special peg board. Winner is the first to 121 points. If I remember, I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. It’s easy to play once you get the hang of it, but it’s complicated to describe.

All I want for Christmas is to be with Larry. And peace on earth and all that other stuff. And for my shoulder to keep healing and for nothing else to happen to me.