Wednesday

I got a call on Tuesday from the hospital saying I needed to be there at 7:00 AM on Wednesday for my pre-admission testing (blood work and an EKG). So, I reset the alarm for 4:30 AM (groan).

So, when I finally woke up at 5:00 AM on Wednesday (not because of any fault of my alarm clock, it was a disgruntled curmudgeon, repeatedly hitting the snooze button). I shaved with my new "electric" razor and hopped into the shower. Then I raced to get dressed and headed out the door. But, not before I deposited my two garbage bags on the road (I don't have a "curb")

I took surface streets (knowing all the problems with the E-Ways right now). I went Inkster to 8-Mile, 8-Mile to Groesbeck and Groesbeck to the hospital. I got there 15 minutes late, BTW (there was a LOT of construction on 8-Mile, you see).

So, they gave me an EKG (without dry-shaving my chest again, thank God) and she said it was perfect. Then she drew my blood (which she was very skillful, as well - I told her my veins suck, and they do!)

I spend some time giving my "patient history," (I am SO tired of this, BTW. Do any of you know the milligram dosages of any drugs you might take? Well, neither do I!) Then I hopped in the car and headed for work.

I got to work at 8:50 PM (that was a LOT of driving for that early in the morning - over 80 miles round-trip). So, between my ankles and my legs, I was pretty well trashed for the day.

At lunch, I stopped at the quarter car wash and washed the car. Then I vacuumed it out. That was just another of the rather lengthy list of things I still have to get done before I become "The one-armed man."

Speaking of which, as I think I have said before, I keep trying to do things with just my left hand, to see how much trouble I am getting into. In the car, I can turn it on and shift the automatic transmission into gear (with difficulty), but the challenge is to secure your seat belt.

But today, I realized another problem. Just think about how you open a trash bag from a roll. You grab the corners in both hands and shake it, allowing air to fill it and open it up. Well do it one handed and all you are doing is like waving a flag!

If I can't figure this one out, I'll just open 25 bags (three months at 2 bags a week) and drape them over a chair (not pretty, but functional).

I went out back and turned the oscillating sprinkler back on. Uh oh, there was a problem. Like it did last year, it had frozen in a "down" position. I banged it around in my hands (no response) and then manually tried to push it past that point. Instead, I snapped something off!

So, I hooked up the square sprinkler, allowed for wind drift and cranked it up. I set the timer for 30 minutes and went back inside.

I preheated the oven to 400 degrees F. while I arranged a pound of thick-sliced bacon on my rack (set on tinfoil covering a cookie sheet). I smothered it with fresh cracked pepper and then popped it in the oven for 15 minutes. When I took it out, it was still undercooked (this would have worked with thin bacon). So, I put it back in for another five minutes.

Meanwhile I toasted two slices of oat nut bread and sliced up a tomato. When the bacon was done, I assembled my BLT. I put mayonnaise on both slices of bread, added lettuce, tomato and two slices of bacon, topped it with the other slice and cut it in half.

I ate dinner at the table, reading a magazine that came yesterday. Then I went in and watched TV, moving the sprinkler as needed. Since I was already out there, I also watered the raised bed garden. I finally shut off the water and went back in to bed.