Good luck at the doctor, Dinny. I have two people I know with artificial knees, it's not by any means as ludicrous as the ankle story. Because of the whole "ball joint" thing that the ankle is (I think Vicki told me this), it's a lot harder to replace/fix than a knee. But still, hopefully it's not something that bad, and something that the doc will do something about.
EDIT: Sorry, forgot one -- 3 people -- Hirsch being one of them. And that's an unseasoned pot, right? I mean, as much as you like bacon lard, it's not something you want to be smelling all day, right? And is that sea salt, or what? Wooden spoon to stir?