Everything Fred – Part 234

13 February 2024

A day with no appointments and my feet are killing me. They started really hurting last night around 8 pm and even though I got plenty of sleep (thanks Temazepam), when I got up this morning they started again. Even stranger, it’s the little toe on my left foot that is the worst of the pain. That little piggy is hurtin’.

I managed to do the physical therapy exercises this morning. Getting down on the floor is interesting. I get about half way down and then just fall the rest of the way. After doing the physical therapy routine, getting back up is easy but vertigo hits me pretty hard and I have to pause a while before taking any steps.

It’s overcast, windy and it rained early this morning. We needed the rain, don’t need the wind and we can take a break from the sun for a while. It seems a cold front is coming through and the lows tonight are predicted to be in the high 50’s.

My cousin Jimmie and I were talking about Roosevelt State Park in Mississippi. In came up in conversation about a possible visit to Mississippi to see relatives. I’m toying with the idea of staying in one of their cabins. It’s been years since I’ve been to the park and would like to relive old memories of the place. My earliest recollection is a Cub Scout meet and being in a 3-legged race (and falling down). Later, I camped many nights there with our local Boy Scout Troop 28.

One thing we both remembered were the WWII artillery pieces on display in the park. There was a Sherman tank we played on and a howitzer and a rather large gun that I think was an 8“.

They had stripped the tank of most dangerous stuff but you could still get hurt. The lids that closed the crew into the tank were still there and heavy and you could mash a finger with those things. I remember crawling out on the end of the barrel of the 8″ gun. She and I discussed whether they are still there but photos of the park on the web don’t show them. They were great play areas for kids back then but I’m sure parents today would cringe at the thought of kids playing on those weapons. Come to think of it, it’s pretty lucky Jimmie and I even survived childhood with daredevil bike stunts, dangerous gymnastics on monkey bars, building tree houses, exposure to DDT, and playing in the highway (I didn’t say we were smart).

Tomorrow at 2 early in the morning is my EMG (electromyography) where I pay someone to stick needles into me and determine if my muscles twitch when they are supposed to. I’ve never had one of these before and when I read up on the procedure, it still doesn’t tell me much. Of course, there’ll be a follow up appointment to explain everything.

Stay tuned!