End of a Glorious Day!

I have been Daphne Ashling Purpus legally for one year today and what a day of celebration it has been!  It started with taking poor Sasha to the vets for her surgery.  I met with both Dr. Nell and the surgeon after they took a look at her and the surgeon was as confident as he could be that this was worth a shot.  He is one of the best veterinarian surgeons in the area and he is both gentle and kind and kept saying how absolutely sweet and lovely Sasha is.  And so I left her and hung onto my phone!  I came home and was overwhelmed by all the support I received from everyone who is working on my home!  They were all so supportive and understanding and I guess that's why I write so often in my gratitude journal just how very lucky I am to have them in my life!  I went off for my massage and during that the surgeon called to let me know that Sasha had done very well indeed.  He was able to take out the major tumor nearly intact with some surrounding tissue even (he couldn't take a lot of surrounding tissue or she'd loose mouth functionality).  He took out the enlarged lymph node and one other small growth so there will be three masses to have biopsyied.  He was not able to give her much of a lip, so her back molar will be visable and she will drool, but as if I care about that!  Sasha has always been a drooler anyway.  I just want her healthy and happy!  I felt a great surge of relief when the surgeon explained how pleased he was and that while this cancer only as a 10% survival rate for 1 year, he always treats his patients as if they are in that 10%.  And why shouldn't she be--after all she is my cat and I'm in more 10%'s than you could shake a stick at (gay, left-handed, etc.).  At the end of the conversation the surgeon thanked me for giving Sasha a chance and then I knew for sure that I'd made the right decision for Sasha!  Later on in the afternoon Dr. Nell called to report and after chatting with her, we decided that it would be best for Sasha to have a quieter night than she can get in our chaos. So Dr. Nell, bless her wonderful heart, said she would take Sasha in a giant crate and keep her in her living room, so that she can monitor Sasha and give her pain meds as needed.  Sasha also has to wear a soft collar, so that is another challenge.  I am missing Sasha terribly, but I think this is best for Sasha.  Dr. Nell will call me in the morning and I'll find out then if I can bring Sasha home tomorrow.  And if that weren't enough for one day, I also got three skylights installed and they look fantastic.  I took off my wooden front door so that I just have the storm door and that wall in my living room is now about 95% glass and looks fantastic.  I promise to do photos soon.  The new glass front door won't be installed until after sheet rocking, but this gives me an excellent notion of what everything will look like.  Both Daryl and Gary were here to work on plumbing and electric, respectively, and that is moving along.  Leigh found someone to do painting and that is most helpful.  And Jay framed out and installed the window for the 1/2 bath.  I'm sure other stuff happened as well, but I can't think now.  I just found out that two of my haiku have been selected for publication in an anthology and I'm just inordinately pleased!  I have never been published and I've always been told I couldn't write creatively, and so this is a real thrill for me!  And so this has been an extraordinary day.  My dear friend Anja just stopped by with some baked goods from Flying Apron in Seattle (vegan and gluten free) so I have lovely treats to go with my dinner and right now I'm just feeling so very lucky to have so many wonderful folks in my life, both in my home and on the internet where I've received many good wishes for Sasha.  Life is good.