Good morning GH. It is just past 7:00 AM in "The City" and the current temperature is 36 degrees under partly cloudy skies. According to my recent consultation with Yahoo Weather, we are heading for a high of 38 with a winter weather advisory to become effective at 7:00 PM this evening. That means freezing rain and sleet are possible until 7:00 AM tomorrow morning. If that's the case, Sugar the Weather Dog will not be happy during her morning walk tomorrow. Surprise, the MI DOT advises people to be careful when driving. Sound advice I think.

We never got to the barber yesterday. No place to park, a line in the shop, etc. Mary and I think that the lack of parking was due to the time of day. It was lunch hour and many people like to park close to the neighboring restaurants. We will revisit either sooner or later today and avoid the lunch parking crowd.

That being said, we instead visited the downtown before my doctor's appointment. I stayed in the car while we visited the bank. Of course, the bank visit was at the drive through. Then, Mary visited the bakery and the place that will be printing out her latest indexing assignment. They said that they will call her when it is ready. What should be a short effort may be being thwarted by the seasonal needs of others. We also visited the Post Office for some stamps to mail our holiday cards, which we will mail today.

Finally to the doctor, where the nurse removed my sutures and then sent us off to x-ray for some post-surgery shots of my shoulder. As the x-ray tech explained, each doctor in the orthopedic office has his own preferred way to have pictures taken. Once finished, back to the doctor where he explained what had been necessary to fix my shoulder. As he went through the pictures, I could see that my rotator cuff and shoulder joint was a mess before surgery. He noted that my shoulder had once been separated. I think that happened during a bicycle crash I had about 20 years ago. Everything looks better now, so the next few months are physical therapy and some additional uncomfortable nights trying to sleep.

Speaking of physical therapy, my first get acquainted appointment is set for tomorrow. Having been to P/T before, this will likely be an explanation of the treatment plan, my responsibilities during and after my visits, and the expected number of visits required. Since Mary is my chauffeur, I think she will have completed several projects during my visits. She made quite bit of progress yesterday on a sock she is knitting. She may also do some of her indexing while she waits.

As I said before, she has been a trouper during my convalescence. Because I used trooper the last time I noted her efforts, I used trouper this time. Each word derives from the same French source, but trooper means brave or stalwart, while trouper means someone who is reliable and uncomplaining. I think I am safe in using the words interchangeably.

Otherwise, I heard only one train pass by last night just before 12:00 AM. I stayed in bed most of the night, but the ache in my shoulder forced me to sit up in my chair for a while. Hopefully, as time passes, I'll get more bed time than chair time. Sugar spent some of her time near me last night, but then returned back to her preferred spot on the couch. It is a good thing that Mary got that cover for the couch to prevent problems.

Oh well, Tea time will be soon, and then I can get ready to face the day. Sunrise is at 8:12 AM today and sunset at 5:12 PM. Saturday, the 20th, is the shortest day of the year with regard to sunlight. After that, we are in the home stretch and heading for more daylight and the spring season, not to mention my full recovery. Ciao.