Happy Birthday and Other Sundries

First off, today is Mom's birthday. Happy birthday, Mom! Here is the cake I promised:
So that's all lovely. I have not yet decided whether the real cake will be purchased or homemade. The last time I tried to bake a cake, for Matt's birthday a couple of years ago, it didn't go as planned. I followed the directions to the letter, but the batter never rose as it baked. I took the cake out of the oven and it was done, but rather, er, slablike. It tasted very much like it was meant to, only... denser. But Mom did not feel that was satisfactory and she baked a new one when she came home from work. Mom is not picky about what flavor of slab--er, that is, cake--she gets, but I expect she'd like it to be edible. So perhaps I shall cheat and visit a bakery.

But here's the part you all want to know! (I can tell, because the phone has been ringing off the hook for the past two days.) The surgery! It is done! It took about an hour and a half and was, apparently, entirely uneventful, which makes a nice change from the inordinate eventfulness of this whole cancer saga. Mom came home saying that it hurt more than the last, but otherwise she's just fine. She was a little loopy because of the painkillers yesterday, but she's back to herself again today and doesn't seem to be in too much discomfort. The surgeon was apparently pleased with how things went yesterday, and she'll see him for a follow-up on Friday, which should also be the first time she gets to see how everything has worked out. He, being the perfectionist that he is, has said that he may tweak a few things later on, but that would all be in his office. Once again, reading and knitting are a challenge, and she's forbidden from heavy lifting for a time, but so far, things seem otherwise well.

I've been reading the autobiography of Christopher Lee, whom I have adored for years, and it is utterly hilarious. So, in part to keep Mom entertained, and in part because they're too great not to share, I've been reading out some of the best stories and one-liners to her. Unfortunately, I'm almost done with it, so I'll have to find something else. I'm in the middle of a few books, of course, with probably several dozen more lined up, but none of the others are funny.

But Mom is well, and if this is perhaps not her best birthday ever, at least it's not being spent in a hospital or doctor's office.