So here's the choice, watch Desperate Housewives or write something for the blog.  It's a tough choice, I know.  

Now I should say that ordinarily I am not the Desperate Housewives sort of girl.  But I have two of the world's greatest daughters and one of those daughters is a fine connoisseur of questionable television.  She has been doing a wonderful job taking care of me (they both have).  One of the things she did right away was load my iPad with the first season of Desperate Housewives.  She says it's the perfect thing to watch through chemo.  I have been watching in her honor.  And I must admit, it seems like a fine thing to do at 4am in the hospital.  And sometimes at 3 in the afternoon, just because.  

But even though there are plenty of episodes waiting for me, I thought it might be wise to write, rather than squander my brain cells on iPad-sized tv.  So here's how things are going.  I'm not happy about losing a kidney.  I worry most about my remaining kidney.  Maybe that's silly.  I mean I would have ripped the kidney out with a kitchen knife if one of my kids needed it.  But I can't help but feel like I'm being cut up for parts.  I don't particularly miss the breasts.  Maybe I will when I realize how ridiculous some of my clothes look on me.  But for now, they seem like a fair price to pay to get healthy.  The kidney, less so.  I should remind myself that I was lucky to find the tumor.  It could have become dangerous.  But the night before my surgery someone mentioned that we'll never know how many people live with these kinds of things forever with no ill effects.  They grow slowly and it's even possible, she said, that they  spontaneously disappear.  

Not what I wanted to hear.

On the upside, I am feeling quite a bit better.  I've been home from the hospital for about 24 hours, and it's amazing how much better I feel.  Tomorrow, I plan to walk - slowly of course.  But I'll be outside, getting air in my lungs, doing what I can to get healthy again.  Sitting around is not my idea of a good time.

And also, on the upside, we are surrounded by a community of very kind people.  Really.  It's been amazing. Several spectacular meals have been delivered to our house along with some of the most wonderful snacks.  Trays of cut up fruit, nuts, and dips, and salsa with chips.  The first night home from the hospital, we had lasagna with homemade pasta.  It was a meal we will talk at for years to come.  At dinner, one daughter said, "If i ever doubt the goodness of people again, remind me of this." And she's right.  The world seems like a very kind and generous place.  I'm not sure how we'll ever be able to make it up to people, but Marc has a plan.  He wants to throw a party.  A giant party.  It sounds l Ike a great idea.  A party.  I can't wait.  Mark your calendars