Talk about a mortifyingly duh-moment... when the physical therapist tells you that the reason that the brace didn't fit properly was that it was made for my left knee and I was trying to wear it on my right... she tried to reassure me that many folks do the same thing when they have been out of the habit of wearing the brace - didn't make me feel any less thick though. Just goes to show you how successful I can be at blotting out memory of the physically painful experiences of over 6 years ago when I wore it fulltime. At any rate it has been an interesting couple of days on the physical front. Yesterday I went to have an EMG study to determine the extent of what was causing my finger and arm numbness - no great surprise to find that I have carpal tunnel problems on my dominant side- after 31 years in IT, and with all of the craft work I do requiring fine motor skills. In the short term I am wearing a wrist splint on the right side while sleeping to help forestall some of the numbness, maybe I'll wake up fewer times - in a week or so I'll meet with my GP to see the recommendations from the Doctor that carried out the EMG. As Mike mentioned I went to see the orthopaedic surgeon this AM to have a serious chat about how to proceed with my knees - I did not need to do much of a sales job before he realized just what a lack of quality of life I have now. Because of my age and fitness level (don't laugh) I should not have to wait for too long - he first wants to do another scope on my left (the worst) knee to clean it out and have a good look at the state of the damage and then proceed with a replacement. The folks that seem to be waiting a long time that I have met lately are those who are grossly overweight and/or have other health issues - I am sure this is a generalization but there seems to be a correlation. So, no, I am NOT at the head of the queue - I am just not at the end.
The last few nights we have dined well - I took charge of dinner when Alan and Heather (Moonlight Maid) stopped in and last night we hosted Ron and Pye (Jambalaya) - Mike prepared a caprese salad and seafood pasta and we had a scrumptious blueberry crisp that Pye brought along. Tonight's menu will be much less well thought out as we graze through the bits in the frig that won't last until we return to the boat.

Oh, will you all keep having positive thoughts on our behalf that the inspector does NOT find anything untoward in the house in Shelburne...

My next blog entry will be form Saint JOhn, NB