First of all - my glasses were found!  They were placed in my shoes in my street clothes bag (!), but the OR Prep nurse never told the Recovery Room nurse about it.  If she had, they would have been given to me before I was transported to the room. As it turned out the room assistants (or I ) never asked to look in the clothing bag because who checks their street clothes before they get ready to leave?  The morning security guard found out who my prep room nurse was, she told him what happened and he came up to the room, opened the closet door and handed them to me.  Problem solved.  But I sure some of the staff thought I was a drug lord or mafia don wearing sunglasses at night and at 6 in the morning.  One even called me Don Verdi (I told him I knew a guy with that name - pretty good trumpet player too)!

Otherwise everything is going pretty well.  I made it up and down a 20-step staircase today (with a new knee and the other one just healed it took some instruction but doing that less than 24 hours after the surgery was huge - I am amazed at the skills my surgeon showed, and grateful for the work my “pre-hab” therapist made me do - both were key to my progress last and this time).  I also walked the entire corridor twice so far today.  There is pain but it is still manageable - but for now nagging a bit more.  This is normal as the nerve block given at surgery takes about 2 days to dissipate, so I was warned to expect an uptick in pain on days 2 and 3 - we shall see....

Otherwise all is good.  Shari and my kids have been in regular phone contact with me and the support of all my Facebook and Caring Bridge friends has made my day!  Thank all of you for that1

I an scheduled to be home by late tomorrow afternoon and feel pretty relaxed and relieved right now.  I am sure there will be some bad days mixed with the good, but I will have Shari to help me through this (for which I am so grateful).  

This is the last phase of the successful 3-year road rebuilding project and the whole project is about to enter the closure phase!  Whenever we get back to making music I will be ready to jump back in (literally as well as figuratively.  Onward!!!

~Howard