Gosh, I cant' believe I haven't entered a post since the 7th!

Daryl had his surgery yesterday and everything went like clock work. We left home at 5:15 am to be at Mercy Medical Center by 5:30 AM. He was in the pre-surgery room by six and his surgery started at 7 AM. It was all over at 8:30. The care at the hospital was top notch. Everyone that we came in contact with was very nice and helpful and the process went really smooth.

This morning he came home and has been getting along just wonderfully. I'm thinking at this rate he will be feeling much better in about a week. His first appointment with the doctor isn't until two weeks from now. In that time he isn't suppose to lift anything and he can't drive. He is suppose work up to a 20 minute walk. He is already been outside twice today walking about a 1/2 block at a time. I think it won't take him long and he will be walking the 4 block to Bever Park.





I made Daryl smile for this picture. I said, " remember how the morphine made you feel ?".

I went to the farmers market this morning and picked up an eggplant, zucchini and some sweet corn. Tonight I made this eggplant dish I found this recipe on Cooks.com. It turned out very well and was easy to make, so I thought I would put this on if anyone else likes trying new recipes as much as I do.

BAKED TOMATO AU GRATIN
Printed from COOKS.COM

1 sm. eggplant

2 med. size zucchinis

1/2 c. olive oil

2 lg. onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 c. plain packed bread crumbs

4 thin slices Swiss cheese or provolone cheese

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

2 lg. ripe yellow tomatoes, sliced Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

Preheat broiler. Trim ends off eggplant and zucchini; cut each vegetable lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange slices on broiler rack; brush both sides of slices with olive oil. Broil vegetable slices until fork tender, turning once.
Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat remaining oil. Add onions and cook until soft and golden. Add garlic and cook a few seconds. Remove from heat and stir in bread crumbs.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In greased 10 inch square baking dish, arrange eggplant and zucchini slices. Place cheese slices over vegetables. Top with onion mixture and sprinkle with half of the grated cheese.
Arrange tomatoes over onion layer, alternating red and yellow slices. Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Bake vegetables 45 minutes. Sprinkle casserole with chopped thyme and serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 6 to 8 people.

Thanks Hancher for the gift!

Last night we had the pleasure of seeing the Joffrey Ballet perform on the grounds of Brucemore. The free event was held to celebrate Hancher's 35th anniversary. We arrived when the gates opened at 6:30 pm behind a line of people waiting to get into the grounds. After the gates swung open it didn't take long for the lawn to fill up with people. They had an area roped off with chairs for special guest in the center, so we took a spot to the left of stage and set up our chairs and lay a blanket down on the ground for us to have a picnic. Daryl had packed the picnic basket with sandwiches and salad and wine. Here is a little clip of one of the five pieces on stage last night.


Light Rain - Joffrey Ballet

Fireworks on the 4th

After the Clinton rally we went down to 3rd Street Live to meet Jeff and Kerry and get some food. They had a special on two for one domestic beer and we had 3 rounds apiece. The food was great! I had a breaded chicken sandwich with fries. It was yummy! It really wasn't terribly busy and very comfortable sitting in their outside area. After eating we headed across the street to the corner opposite the African American Museum and watched the firework. It was just a beautiful night!

Bill and Hillary

Bill and Hillary Clinton were in Cedar Rapids to campaign for Hillary for President. I decided that I wanted to go down and see what it was all about. The really neat thing about living in Iowa is that you have an opportunity to see up close all the presidential candidates if you want to, because they seem to be all over the place during an election cycle. Like most Iowans, I have never taken the time to get involved and meet the people that effect our lives so greatly after they are elected. We ended up getting within about 15 feet of the former President and Senator Clinton. I really haven't made a decision yet who I want to be president. I want to see Barack Obama and John Edwards when they come around this area. I may get the nerve to attend the Iowa Caucus and find out how it works. I have heard that they are kind of fun to attend.

Freedom Festival Run

I love the 4th of July! I have a routine that I have followed for the last 4 1/2 years living in this neighborhood. I get up and go out on my porch with my coffee and the morning newspaper and wait for the Freedom Festival Run to start. Then I head out to the curb and watch all the hot shirtless men running down the street. It's a great way to start the holiday!

My Personal Save The Earth Program is Paying Off

Congratulations!! Your name has been drawn to receive a $25 Visa gift card for participating in the Employee Commute Reduction Program. Please call me at x58650 to arrange a time for you to come to my work station and pick up the gift card. I am on the deck in bldg. 166, m/s 166-203. Your names will also be posted on the ECRP bulletin board in the tunnel. Thank you for participating!

Good News So Far

Daryl took this picture from our alley by the side of the house. The balloon was flying really low on Grande Avenue.

The biopsy on Daryl's thyroid was benign and his blood work has all come back normal! The doctor is still a little concerned and has ordered another biopsy on his lymph node to make sure that is clear. He said sometimes it will show a negative in the thyroid and a positive in the lymph node. I'm not sure why he didn't order both at the same time. My only assumption is that he thought it was cancer and didn't want to do an unnecessary procedure if he didn't have to. If this second test comes back also benign, they will go ahead with his back surgery and check his thyroid again in six months.