Welcome from Minnesota, I also hope your surgery goes well for you.
I sure wished we lived closer to each other.... reading your introductory was like reading about myself, I too live in a small town and am having trouble finding the right job without having to drive into the cities every day, I absolutely hate nutty traffic. This board is so GREAT for me, but I also wish I had a quilting buddy close by. I even checked to see if my town has a quilting guild and they dont.
Maybe I should start my own. Good luck to you.