Good News and Bad News

The good news is that Barbara will have to wait on me hand and FOOT. The bad news is I have two broken toes so my summer softball season, that starts in May, doesn't look to good.


I hurt my foot a couple of months ago playing winter softball when I hit first base wrong and jammed my foot. I played the rest of the season, but not without getting runners and some games I had to sit out because of the "discomfort". I didn't change any of my activities and figured during the spring softball break (no pun intended) my foot would heal. I was wrong. Winter softball has been over almost a month and my foot is still sore.


So today I decided to see a local foot quack, I mean doctor. After some x-rays he told me the good news was I did not have three broken bones, but I did have two broken in four places, one almost completely through. (Where do doctors get their sense of humor?) The breaks are on the top of my foot closer to the arch or instep, about four or five inches from the toe.

He told me no softball for at least 4 to 6 weeks and he gave me a "surgical shoe" which should do the trick. I have to see him again the first week in June for hopefully better results.

In the meantime, this is my new look. I think the style becomes me. I'm suppose to wear this "shoe" all day except when I'm in bed.


I asked him about playing golf and he said I could play golf, but with the surgical shoe. He did say if it bothered me too much, golf shoes have a stiffer sole, so they would be a second option, but not a good one.


It's not easy being old. Something is always sore. I think once you turn 55, Aleve is the only vitamin pill required.

New Neighbor in the pond

We have a new neighbor residing in our pond. This is the time of year Gators like to move around. They haven't been doing much during the winter so now they are looking for food and a mate. There are plenty of ducks and birds in and around the pond, but he or she may need to look a little harder for a mate. A couple of years ago we had two in the pond, one was was a 5 or 6 footer, that I saw. The other one that neighbors told me about was a 10 to 12 footer. A guy with two little dogs that he would let loose in the back to do their business so he wouldn't have to pick it up called the "Gator Hunters" and that was the end of them. They killed to small one but they couldn't find the big one, so they figured it went to another pond before the hunters got there. This year the neighbors have agreed not to call anyone since this gator is only about 4 or 5 foot. And I think the guy with the two little dogs is gone, at least I don't see the dogs anymore. This past month we had a lot of families around during their spring break so it was fun watching them walk around the pond to take pictures or just look at the gator. We have also had the company of a mama duck around the back and side of the house keeping our dumb cat busy. Yesterday she walked past the house toward the pond with 11 little babies. Barbara doesn't like to count the babies because some of them may come up missing. We had a rabbit around the house also, but a hawk took care of that one afternoon while I was reading a book. It's just part of Mother Nature and it's in full bloom in Florida.