Christams Shopping and #2 Hand Update

Jack’s hand is really looking good.  He hasn’t put a bandage on at night since Sunday.   There is a rectangular bruise about 1 ½ to 2 “ x 1 to 1 ½ “ and within it is a big ugly scab about 1” long, ½” wide.  The rest of the hand looks normal.  He still thinks it isn’t healing quickly enough.  I’m surprised it is as good as it is.

I’m using my last day of vacation time today.  We did the breakfast thing and then it was off to do Christmas shopping for the two of us.  This year might be the last year we do this.  It used to be that we would shop on a couple of Saturdays, he’d have the car, and we would buy each other 8 to 10 presents.  But as the years go by, it’s harder and harder to come up with ideas.  We are at the point in life if we need something we go buy it and there isn’t really much of anything that we need in the first place.  Making a list and handing it to each other just looses that surprise factor. 

Back to the shopping.  In early November we said we would make a day of it, go up to Grand Rapids to the big mall, do lunch out towards Cascade to see the old neighborhood.  Won’t that be fun?  Oh, the fond memories of the days of planning and shopping for hours.  We were excited.

Now it’s reality. He tuckers out after a couple of hours.  It’s raining.  Do we really want to drive all the way up there in the rain for a couple of hours in a big mall?  Change of plans, staying on the home front.  Here’s of list of 5 things, pick 3 of them.  One item on my list was a Lands’ End cardigan.  I don’t think he made it out of Sears. 

I’m a planner.  Knew what the 3 things were that I was getting him.  Knew what store.  I even bought myself a pair of black shoes in the 40 minutes it took to get it all done.  JC Penny $10 off coupon - Couldn’t resist.

We had said we would meet in an hour and then decide if we needed more time.  Like I said, I was done in 40 minutes.  He was slowly walking towards the designated area, he looked beat.  We decided on lunch and head home.  By 2pm we both were napping.    

What has started as the new Christmas season tradition is picking winning teams for the bowl games.  Two years ago I picked more winners than he did.  Last year he picked more.  I base my choices on location not on statistics.  Have I been to that city or state?  Did I like it there?  Would I like to go visit that city or state?  Do I like the school colors?  The important things.  Wins and losses, over-rated.

Rose bowl is the biggy.  Of course I’m for Wisc, but we have family attending Michigan State, so they are 2^nd for me, 1^st for Jack.  And as long as it’s either Wisc or a Michigan team and never Ohio State, life is good at the Rose Bowl.  Too bad the Big Ten lets us down more often than not.

Western Michigan plays Purdue in The Little Caesars Bowl.  Those are the good games.  Jack graduated from Western; Jack’s grandson-in-law is a Purdue Alumnus.  Perfect, we can’t lose.

The Armed Forces Bowl that neither Armed Forces team plays in, but Brigham Young and Tulsa do.  I picked Brigham Young - I’d like to see Utah.  Tulsa - tornadoes and flat.  No thank you.

Update to Jack's Hand

It's healing.  At his followup visit, his regular doctor said to leave it get air at least 6 hours a day and no need to return unless there is a problem.  He takes the bandage off during the day so it's actually off a good 12 hours.  And putting fresh on at night. Or like this morning when we went grocery shopping and later out to lunch he left the bandage on so that his coat wouldn’t rub against it. 

As I had said, it looked like a page from a book.  The part of the skin that was near what would be the binding (towards his little finger) has healed the most.  It's the center that still looks yucky, but even that is a lot better than it was.  All the red rawness is gone.