Sorry this was late - cable's out!

Well, opening the bedroom window Monday night was not the smartest thing I've done. I think I mentioned before I suspect I have developed late-in-life allergies which show up when I, say, cut the back lawn for several hours. Anyway, when I woke up Tuesday morning, my eyes felt itchy and my nose was all plugged up!

But, I must carry on... So, I got ready for work and then took out the garbage.

I left work for good at 11:00 AM. When I got home, I first watered the mailbox garden (the marigolds were looking bad) and then emptied the dishwasher while my Campbell's chicken noodle soup warmed up. Then I left for my 2:00 PM doctor's appointment (with my orthopedic surgeon).

Why so early? Because first I must go to the MRI place in Southfield and pick up a copy of my MRI. And, leaving early seemed pretty damn smart as there was a terrible two car accident that shut down three of the four lanes on Telegraph Road. I lost a good 20 minutes there.

Since I work in IT, you would think I'd know better, but I was expecting a package of films. But, what I got was a CD!

The MRI place is just past 12 Mile Road, so I headed back south and got on I-696, heading east. Traffic wasn't too bad, so I got to the doctor's at 1:15 PM (way too early unless I'd brought a book).

So, I thought I'd drop in on my brother Carl and check out his gardens (he lives about a mile or two from the doctor's office). However, he wasn't home. Since both his front and back yards are open, I did enjoy strolling around his gardens and the pond. I am so jealous of the English garden in front, BTW. Nice job, Bro!

Back at the doctor's, I gave the nurse my CD. After viewing it and reading the original doctor's report of the MRI, Doctor Hanlon came in to give me the bad news. I guess I understood Dr. Pop's Austrian accent better than I thought. What I have is about a one-inch circular hole in my rotator cuff, just on top of my shoulder blade (created by the rubbing of the shoulder bone).

His belief is that I could benefit from arthroscopic surgery (rather than the more serious "open" surgery). However, this would still involve outpatient surgery, being off work for the first week or two, wearing a sling for up to six weeks and going to therapy for a minimum of three months. Jesus!

I asked him the downside of waiting a bit until summer was over, as I have both gardens and lawn to keep up. He said I should picture a hole in some Saran Wrap. The more I use my arm, the bigger the hole will get and the more difficult it will be to repair it.

He also said that since the cortisone shot didn't work (and it didn't), I really have no other options left. We left it that I would sign all the paperwork for the surgery so I don't have to come back) and then let him know my decision later. So, that's what I did.

I headed back home. Traffic was noticeably worse, but I still got home just after 4:00 PM. I treated the cat's (who seemed a bit confused at the early hour) and then changed clothes.

I filled in the Blog (I didn't want to forget) and started a load of laundry. I talked to my friend B___, (who also advised early surgery) and then went out back at 5:45 to check on garden conditions.

The raised bed garden was dry again, so I hooked up the sprinkler, turned it on and set my oven timer for 30 minutes. While I was waiting, I peeled a nice big eggplant I got last week.

I cut the eggplant into 3/4 inch slices and then set up my breading stations: flour, whisked eggs and then seasoned flour. Next I set up my drying station: a rack on top of paper towels set in a cookie sheet.

The timer went off, so I went out and shut off the water, unhooked the sprinkler and coiled up the hose. Back inside, I put about 1/4 inch of canola oil in my big saut� pan and began to fry the eggplant.

I ate dinner watching TV. I went to bed early (without opening the window) but couldn't fall asleep until late. Too much to think about, I guess!