Word Games

One of the things I enjoy doing every day is The New York Times crossword puzzle -- especially on Sundays. I usually complete them online when I'm home, but when we travel I always have one of their crossword books tucked into my carry on bag to keep me amused in the airport and on the plane. For some weird reason, I also really like the challenge of filling in all those little boxes with a pen instead of a pencil.

Speaking of writing, when I was a wee tot in Kindergarten about 100 years ago, we were all taught how to write by using a dip pen and an inkwell. Very Dickensian. Being left-handed, this exercise was always sheer torture, because the side of my hand would drag through the wet ink as I laboured to copy letters from the blackboard onto my stained work sheet. The teacher even tried to force me to write with the "correct" hand, but my mother (also a leftie) put a quick stop to that nonsense.

Tomorrow, I will be going to the hospital for surgery on my right shoulder, and also on my right thumb. I will be trussed up in a sling for a week or so afterwards. Even though I use my left hand to write with, I do almost everything else with my right hand, so it will be interesting to see how I will manage to do things like take photographs one-handed! Wish me luck ...