The Mess We're In

Not only are we experiencing wars, terrorist attacks and devastating natural disasters, we now have an evangelical christian as House speaker.  And this means an evangelical christian is second in line to the presidency.  If Biden and Harris are assassinated or somehow vanish from the planet, Mike Johnson will be president of the United States.  Think on that for a minute.  A man who supported overturning the 2020 election, a man who is a Trump toady, a man who opposes abortion and any discussion of gay rights, a man who will vote against any aid to Ukraine: this is the man that could be president. Not that a situation like that is likely, but the thought that our country has devolved this far is frightening and disgusting. How did we get to this point?

The better question is: how do we get out of this? 

More to follow.

Finally! Back in print!

 For the past several weeks I have had no internet connection on my laptop.  No access to anything.  My phone connected 85% of the time, my TV the same for streaming stuff. Quite frustrating, but here we are, back again!

Three weeks ago I had knee replacement surgery, which enforced upon me a great deal of free time.  A lot of boring free time. For the first two weeks, one's life revolves around icing the knee many times during the day, reading, doing exercises for the knee (painful!) and staring at the TV or out the window or into one's soul. (Short-lived.) Very boring. Even having unlimited time to read was tiresome and it's amazing how much junk there is on television, junk that I either had already seen or had no desire to ever watch. 

After two weeks, the highlight of my day was hobbling down the path and walking around the pool several times, just to get outside. (It's 60 steps around the pool, in case you were wondering.)

This past Monday I had reached the limit of my incarceration and decided to get in the car and drive to the post office.  HA!  What a joke that was because the car wouldn't start! Another enforced confinement. Once it a new battery was installed (after 3 calls in two days to AAA) driving became much more enjoyable.  I now can hobble into the post office, into a grocery store, into the library, using my trusty cane that I bought for $6 at the thrift store.

Knee replacements are quite common, especially in my Baby Boom generation, but that doesn't make them easy or convenient or desired. No one ever thought "perhaps it would be nice to have my leg sliced open, battered around a bit, bones sawed off, fake bones screwed on, then stapled back together." Because it isn't nice. Necessary, maybe, but nice? No. It hurts. Having parts of the body sliced open and poked about with sharp instruments is always going to result in pain.

Three weeks after the surgery I am still icing the knee and leg several times a day (with an amazing ice machine provided by Kaiser) and doing exercises to increase mobility and prevent scar tissue.  But I am still hobbling around with the cane, not striding purposefully down the path. The hobbling will get better, of course, and at some point the pain will back off. 

At least that's the plan.