BOSTON -- Home in Hyde Park is where you'll find Boston Mayor Tom Menino these days. His left leg is immobilized in a brace, and aides are working at his home instead of City Hall.

"It's going well. I'm doing what the doctors tell me to do. My physical therapist, occupational therapist, my nurses -- I'm just being a good patient because I really want to get out of this house and go back to where I love the best," Menino said.

The 66-year-old mayor barely got to enjoy his fifth-term victory when his knee gave out on Nov. 8.

"I walk up the stairs and all of a sudden my leg collapsed from under me. I hear this tear. I thought it was my pants, and it wasn't. I tried to get up and I collapsed again," Menino said.

Since emergency surgery to repair a severed tendon, he's been housebound. Work is done on the phone or people come see him.

"Are you still in charge of the city?" Tuthill asked.

"Of course, nobody else would be. I'm in charge. I talk to my police commissioner every morning, fire commissioner," Menino said.

"But you're still not really into the e-mail I understand?" Tuthill asked.

"No, no," Menino said.

"But wouldn't this be a good time?" Tuthill asked.

"No. Just the phone," Menino said.

Friends stop by with goodies, but the mayor said he misses being out and about. He and his wife have had a lot of quality time together.

"She went to work today to get out of the house. She says, 'I'm not going to hang around with you all day. You drive me crazy,'" Menino said.

His wife, Angela, will flip the switch at the annual tree lighting, which is one of the duties during the holiday season he loves.

"So what's it going to be like for you to be sitting here and watching that on Channel 5?" Tuthill asked.

"I'll be chomping at the bit. I'll be sitting in my chair there," Menino said. "But that's always an exciting night -- the lighting of the tree, the entertainment, the Santa Claus coming. But I'm here. I'm relegated to my faithful chair over there. You have to understand that it's part of life. It humbles you a little bit," Menino said.