My Dad, Stumpy Claus!

This past summer, my 84 year old father had his leg amputated.  He'd fallen down some stairs several years back and his knee was shattered so they replaced it with a prosthetic knee.  Then he came down with a bad case of staph infection in his clavicle and from then on, he was in and out of the hospital for the next two years, with the staph infection merrily making its way hither and yon all through his body.  When it lodged in the fake knee area it decided it liked it there and refused to budge--Dad was given so many antibiotics that his kidneys checked out and he's been going to dialysis for THAT three times a week.  In desperation, the doctor suggested that maybe, just maybe George, you might think about having your leg amputated . . . and while various members of Dad's family were horrified at the thought, Dad made the decision to do the deed (he's suffered from diabetes for years so he had sort of prepared himself for this very thing). 

It was the best decision anyone ever made!  Dad's health improved to the point where he's been living at home (and getting the best care in the world from his "son" Glenn and Glenn's wife Judy--they all live in the same house in Birmingham--and from my sisters, as well) since August.  He was going to get a prosthetic leg but has decided against it since he's pretty ok with scooting around in his motorized wheelchair and being chauffered to luncheons and church by Judy.  Every time I start to feel depressed about my current situation I just look at this photo and give myself a big mental whack over the head.  What do I have to complain about?!!!

Now, if anyone has wondered where I get my occasionally warped sense of humor, it was given to me by that one legged gentleman above.  Soooooo, when I was at a flea market recently I stumbled across a vendor who had those filthy snowglobes AND a little plastic "shelf sitter" Santa Claus with no legs below the knee.  AH HA!  Of course Santa had to be washed, and then the fun began.  I made a little boot out of black felt, outlined it in gold glitter glue and stuck it on.  Then I glued Santa's butt to this perfectly sized little chair, filled a gift bag with sugar-free Life Savers and presented it to Dad when we visited recently.

HE CRACKED UP!  I told him he could put it out every Christmas and he said, "Well, hell, I'm going to keep it out all year!" which made me, his oldest daughter, melt all over the floor with love. 

I hope everyone's Christmas was as precious as mine.