Back in Boston for another biopsy

Well, I've made my last college dorm bed.

Any mother who's completed the ritual knows how important it is. Wasn't it just yesterday, you wonder, when you packed their Barbie or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lunchbox and put them on the kindergarten bus?

I'm past crying, but it still tugs at my heart.

The past few days have been very busy. My birthday Saturday in Wellfleet couldn't have been nicer. The day started, as usual, with me getting up early and going down to the Flying Fish for blueberry muffins and a cup of special Flying Fish coffee which I drank on the way home. Ben and Meagan went to the flea market and then later they went with Joe shopping downtown. Katie and I swam and walked, and Katie got in a run. We had a cookout and then – surprise! – a cake. I got a really nice pair of earrings and a little cutout of a dog on a plaque that read, "When all else fails, hug the dog."

While I have nightmares after watching "Breaking Bad," I had pleasant dreams after my little party.

Moving out the next morning went seamlessly, minus my notorious lollygagging and the usual subsequent nagging by Joe or Katie followed by digging in on my part. Maybe my birthday brought me some wisdom about the need to sometimes move along more quickly...or maybe it was just a good day.

We drove home Sunday and then Katie and I turned around Monday to move her back into school. It took most of the day Monday to get her stuff into her room. At night, we ate at Veggie Galaxy, which serves traditional diner food made with vegetarian and vegan ingredients. Since it was a diner, we felt like we needed to top off our meal with delicious Boston Creme Pie.

Yesterday I saw Dr. Lin, my dermatologist. She did a punch biopsy on my lip; she also did one on a spot on my wrist.

"You're like a garden," she said. "Of delights."

She thinks the spot on my lip is either Herpes or another squamous cell carcinoma. The results may be back by Friday, but in any case she wants to see me next Tuesday.

She said  I could drive back home, but as the novocaine wore off, I quickly realized that would not be possible. It hurt so much that tears sprang to my eyes as I sat in traffic on Route 9. I went straight to Diane and David's, took some pain pills, and soon felt better.

It's Wednesday morning now. I'm filling up on coffee and am about to try going home. If I get tired, all my favorite rest stops await me.