Tuesday and Wednesday
Rochester, IL to Milwaukee, to DeKalb and back to Rochester....

Oh my, its been ten days since I have updated my blog. Let's see, Paul had surgery on his left shoulder on Friday the 10th. He is having a very rough time with it. He is in a lot of pain, even with the meds he has. Also when the doc was placing the rod into the upper arm, the bone fractured. This meant that in addition to the bandage and the arm being in a sling, he had to have a plastic cast put on it. I just feel so sorry for him and there is nothing I can do for him. He is very short tempered which is understandable, however being on the other end of his frustration and pain is not very pleasant. I had my pre-op tests at Aurora Sinai on Tuesday. They were scheduled for 9 am, so I goofed up on my calendar. I thought I had a 2 pm appointment. I had to leave after my doc's visit here and drive up there. Thank goodness the weather cooperated and was dry and sunny. I stayed at the Comfort Suites at Mitchell Airport. It was a very nice suite, and it had a huge made-for-two whirlpool tub. I ate at the hotel's pub/lounge. What else but a brat with sauerkraut with grilled onions and a nice cold Killians. I ate about 1/2 of the brat meat but all of the beer. I do not count beer as a carbonated beverage like diet pepsi. After my dinner I had a nice hot whirlpool soak and hit the sack. The tests were ok, no biggie. Even the upper GI was not unbearable. Just what I wanted to have on Valentines Day....a strawberry chalk cocktail. Yummy. After my tests I drove to DeKalb to Jen's place. I let myself in and promptly hit the guest bed for a nap. Zack called about 4 and broke up my wonderful rest. By then Jen was home. We talked awhile and then it was off to Portillo's for Chicago hotdogs....real Vienna dogs, not the stuff they pass off here in Springpatch as a Chicago Dog....David Berg dogs, no way! Back at her house, Jen's friend Mari dropped by to observe Peanut Brittle Class 101 and Fondant Making 101 followed by Dipping 101. Jen had purchased canned spanish peanuts, however they had been cooked. It rendered the recipe totally disgusting. It was burnt. Hmmm, lesson learned the hard way. Paul insists that Peanut Brittle Guru Hank had emphatically said not to use cooked peanuts...all I remember was him saying not to use dry roasted nuts. Oh well. Like I said, lesson learned. The fondant came out very well. The dipping also went well, and Jen took to it like a pro. It took me a long time to figure out my system, a production line of sorts. I set it up as I do it, and she seemed to like the setup. We really were a bit short on dipping chocolate. I prefer the large blocks of chocolate I get from Peases' that I have used in the past, but the stuff has become cost prohibitive over the last several years. Also, I just can't do what I did in the past. My stamina is gone, and I just fell like crap most of the time, plus I just can't eat this stuff anymore. None of us need to eat it. We miss it but we don't need the calories. We did have fun doing it at Jen's but by the time we were done it was almost midnight and she had to get up early to go to work. I just love her house. It is such a blessing to have a good friend who is there to help when you need it. I will most likely spend next Tuesday evening with her also as my final visit to Dr. Chua in Milwaukee is the 21st. I am going up to Chicago for nephew Enzo's birthday, and will try to visit Aunt Jane and Carl. I can go up to Milwaukee from Chicago and then go to Jen's after my doc's visit.

Paul has an appointment with Dr. G. his orthopod tomorrow morning at 7:30. He has developed a horrible rash under the plastic cast and he took it off. There has to be a better way to keep his fracture immobile without the discomfort and terrible itching of that nasty looking rash.

I also have an appointment with Dr. Borowicki regarding my right hip tomorrow. I can't get through the day without my pain meds. I am not sure what my feelings are about this doc. He has that I am the doctor therefore I am a god complex. If he treats me the way he did last time, its adios to him and hello Dr. Adair. (He's the guy who fixed mom's broken arm two years ago, and besides, he's not hard to look at. Neither is Dr. B, but like I said, I am not sure I like his bedside manner.).

Mom and Cecil are getting ready for their trip to see Joni and Jerry in NC. I am dead set against them going in the middle of winter, there is no way to predict if they will run into a blizzard or freezing rain. In no way do I want them terrorizing other motorists if I can help it, LOL!

Well, that's all the news around here. No trips planned in the near future. I will update as to Paul's status tomorrow and what my doc says about my aching hip.

later

dennise