They're Back

[copied from dland]

**In 21 days I will be 50 years old**

I haven’t written for a few days, and the reason is clear: they’re back. And, as I noted once before, they suck up your life.

Younger Daughter came home by train Tuesday afternoon, after which I dashed to my therapist appointment and came home, fell asleep, and got up the next day at 5:30 to go to work. But the true adventure of the week is with Older Daughter, who, last Saturday, went ice skating at college and fell and did something or other to her arm. Her right arm, of course, where the shoulder hasn’t been good since a minor car accident four years ago. Her right arm, of course, which she had to use to take finals all week. A visit to the emergency room in Poughkeepsie last Sunday night was not much help. So here was my week:

I spent Monday morning on the phone trying to track down an orthopedist a) who would see her when she got home, and, b) that she would be willing to see, since, after her original shoulder problem wasn’t diagnosed for a few years, she does not have a high opinion of them as a group. Got one.

Tuesday was spent mostly in the car, as described. And now the fun begins.

Because Older Daughter had a final Thursday night and had to be out of her dorm Friday morning and had a useless arm, on Wednesday after work, Younger Daughter and I made the drive up into New York State, filled up the car with all her stuff, and drove it home. Where was Husband in all of this? At the mandatory Christmas party for his new job, which I only escaped because I was spending the evening as a temporary teamster. So we loaded the car, unloaded the car, drove about 65 miles each way, and, in the middle there somewhere, took both my girls and two of Older Daughter’s friends out for dinner. Okay, this was my idea. They were taking finals all week, after all.

Thursday, at work. Older gives a call and gives me her decision: her arm is too painful for her to drive home. We thought it might be, would be, but now she’s up at school with her car. So, for the second night in a row, we drive up there, this time Husband and I, after her final. She comes home in my car, he drives home in hers.

Friday. No work for me today, having called in sick. Older to the orthopedist at 9, from there to get an MRI of her shoulder. And then, an unexpected hour all for me! (I finished my Christmas shopping.)

Saturday – a good one. Older is also having a bone scan, which means she gets an injection of something or other at 10 and then we go back for the scan at 2:30. Which effectively sucks up the day.

Sunday morning. Nothing to do today but decorate the tree and go visit Jack, first stopping to pick up the jar of herring he asked for. Really.

Will I read, will I write? Will I have a moment to call my own until they go back to school? Will I ever get to sit on the couch again, or use the DVD player? All these questions and more will be answered in the upcoming weeks. Same time, same station.

ENTRY #31