the new normal

ok, so.....i woke up today and for a moment i forgot that my foot/ankle is still in transition between broken and whole.....it only takes the flash of pain when my feet hit the floor to remind me that i have a long ways to go....lets go through the checklist....my big toe is still mostly numb...like it fell asleep and has not quite come back to life.....pins and needles.....quite disturbing....the notion that my doctor says that it may not get any better than this....on days when my foot is a bit swollen my other toes join the big toe in the pins and needles thing, but that happens less and less.....on to the ankle....it remains swollen...not like the goose-egg coming out of each side like it once was....but visibly bigger than my left ankle....as for pain, it has centered on the right side....the discomfort appears to be in direct proportion to how fast i walk....geisha steps do not register, but strides make me wince....gentle readers....walking fast and deliberate is my trademark....and for my doctor to tell me that it may not get any better than this is both discouraging and a challenge.....to prove him wrong...all wrapped up in one...i continue to swim laps at least 4 days a week...at least 30 minutes of laps before i practice standing on the broken foot and doing ankle lifts to strengthen it. I am considering an exercycle to increase the cardio workout without putting too much weight on the ankle.....and to jumpstart a bit of weight loss....i suppose my ankle would hurt less if i weighed less.....but that is a lament for another day....

last hurrah?

ok, so i escorted my mother to the polling place this morning...after swimming laps.....and she seemed very pleased to have a picture ID to show the poll worker.....she took great care to fill out her ballot....i waited at an acceptable distance in case i could be accused of voter supression.....we drove to applebees for lunvh and then to krogers.....she fussed frequently about the television in her room that has not sound and cojoled me to drive her to the walmart to buy a new tv....no...i admonished...your doctor specifically instructed you to watch the television in your backroom because it has a back-supportive chair....you do yourself a disservice to watch television from your bed.....heavy sigh.....i recalled the last time my father voted....my mother insisted that she accompany him into the booth to shop him how to vote.....the voting place folks interceded and insisted that if he could not vote on his own he should not vote at all.....will she be with us to vote in 2016? heavy, heavy....sigh

ok, so i searched my pc files for the picture of our late yellow dog, aptly named....yellow.....and was not surprised to find him in a blog dated november 3, 2008...at the last presedential election.....i have a badge with his picture that i will wear to our regular election night party around the corner......it is one of the few places where my yellow dog leanings are not only welcome, but thoroughly understood....