Hi, Allen, That's tough news about the surgery, but I suspect that you guessed it all along. It is true, however, that sometimes a neurologist has a different slant on the situation from an orthopedist. It could pay you to make the extra appointment.... We never use lighter fluid to start a fire, do you? We use one of those old fashioned tin chimneys in which you stuff crumpled newspaper in the bottom half, and then lay in briquets in the top half and and then you set it afire. In about 15 minutes the whole thing is ready to use.. When we want a wood fire, we just do as the Boy Scouts used to do --- we crumple newspaper, then lay sticks and kindling across the top of the paper in a kind of teepee, and in 5 minutes it is ready to be used. Jimmie will often fix himself a hamburger for lunch, and it takes him about 3 minutes to start the fire, perhaps 2-3 minutes to cook the doggone thing, and he's almost back inside before I have the fixin's on the table! Obviously, he likes it black & blue.... We've had exactly 1 inch of rain since June 1st. Add that to our 100 degree days and 96% humidity, and we're boiled... We will be having a v.i.p. meeting here in 4 weeks, so we have been trying to work outside in spite of the obnoxious heat. On top of that we've had 3 floods in 6 weeks. Of all the bizarre happenings, the pipes connected to the water meter must have loosened their connections, because water began running onto the cellar floor underneath the model trains -- four firmen rushed over to save us, but boy! it was lucky that we got home before everything in the workshop and playroom went under water! Then everyone's power went out overnight -- after a 102* day -- and we really had fits! I think we're in for some more mean weather, and just like you and George, we can't do a danged thing about it. Got a message from Bolivia which said that their crops have been destroyed by the late effects of La Nina, and they will have a destitute season in front of them. Do you think that is the cause of all of our weird weather here? Penny in NY -- no measurable zone any more! ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.