To all of my friends --

On December 16, I went to the ER for shortness of breath, and wound up being being whisked 2.5 hours away for emergency open heart surgery. Recovery has been slow and more painful than I would have thought, but I think the worst is over.

I miss being home, especially my cats. It will have been nearly a month when I can return.

There is a wonderful pet sitter taking care of them, but I am worried about how she will get paid. There are other worries about out of pocket medical expenses, but paying the pet sitter for a month of care is the biggest worry.

Worry, as you know, delays healing... If you could help me even a little, I'd be so grateful.

I can pay you back eventually, if you need me to. I've contributed to so many of these - never expected to be on the asking end, but here I am.

Thank you, and Happy New Year!