The above is a photo, taken at UMASS with Andy's phone, of Hammie all ready for his surgery, being remarkably good considering we woke him up at 5:00 in the morning to drive to the hospital for his surgery that was scheduled at 7:30. Hammie also took the news remarkably well the surgeon and anesteiologist examined him and decided that the cold he was coming down with made the surgery too risky at this point, and cancelled the whole project, for now. I should probably say how annoying it was to have gotten all ready for the surgery and schlepped all the way down there just to have them cancel it, but honestly I was pretty relieved. I know the surgery still had to happen eventually, but I will take a bye until spring if I can get it.

An added bonus to the cancellation is that since I spent the days before the scheduled surgery running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get everything done I possibly could so that I would be able to totally focus on trying to make Hammie feel better after the surgery, we've had a pretty relaxing weekend here (aside from the fact that, as the doctors predicted, Hammie has come down with the mother of all colds and has been coughing an hacking like a 90 year old smoker for the past few days). A relaxing weekend is truly a novel concept, but one I could definitely get used to.