-t, I'm glad your mom's condition/prognosis is so good! That's a relief.

Also big homeowner YAY for Hec and Emmett! Very exciting!

askye, wrangling aging parents and trying to respect their autonomy while wanting them to be in the safest living situation is SUPER frustrating, and I definitely sympathize.

I'm getting all my ducks in a row for surgery on Monday. Since they go in through the front of the neck, it's super common to have a very sore throat for a while afterwards, so I have a grocery list of soft foods. And thanks to our country's total breakdown of food safety standards, that list of soft foods includes "popsicles (without glass)."

I saw my OB/GYN yesterday about menopause madness, and she was great. I'm going to start HRT about 2 weeks after surgery -- estradiol patch and progesterone pill since I still have a uterus. And they drew blood to check my testosterone level, so that might get added as well. I am so goddamn excited to get these hot flashes under control. (Also heart health, bone strength, improvement in mood, etc. But mostly these fucking hot flashes.)