I’m not as upset as you might think.
First: The foot is a literal pain but it is small potatoes compared to what others in my family are going through right now. I’m beginning to adjust to walking with the boot so that my hip and hamstring doesn’t hurt.
I thought I was doing really well this weekend and made time for rest, but also cleaned under my bed, did laundry, went grocery shopping, cooked a lot, picked figs, and cooked the figs with orange zest, honey, and lemon juice into a sauce. I can’t call it jam or preserves because it’s not thick enough, but it is delicious.
I mean, this boot was made for walking, right? Getting some things done around here was rejuvenating, and once I took it off to go to bed, I didn’t go through the motions of putting it back on when I got up to brush my teeth or go to the bathroom or get something from the kitchen. I noticed that my swelling had gone down and I thought maybe this injury is not as bad as they thought.
But last night my foot hurt really bad in a different place, and the Achilles tendinitis started kicking back in. I was taken off anti-inflammatory meds because they inhibit bone healing, and instead I have to take acetaminophen for pain, which is not doing the job. So I put the boot back on to sleep in, and managed to get a few hours of shuteye. During which I had one of the most horrifying nightmares of my life!
So today, I worked from home with my foot firmly in the boot. Sandy drove me up to my credit union where I got the title for the Chevy notarized and ready to be mailed to the auto shop which basically bought my car for the amount that I would have owed them for the work already done. I am being good and I’ll try to go back to the office tomorrow. This is a busy work week.
The second development: my sister and brother-in-law are giving me their 2007 Volvo. They said that it was a solid car, but they don’t need it and were planning to donate it. She won’t sell it to me, although we have offered. I am grateful for it and for once I am going to accept this gift without guilt. We will take good care of this one, and take it to another auto shop that specializes in European cars. We still have their 2012 Volvo in our driveway so at some point in the next week or so we will drive it to their house and swap it for the 2007 model.
The third development: I rebooked our plane tickets to Ireland for May 2022. I didn’t lose a whole lot on canceling the AirBNBs because I was careful to pick ones with liberal cancellation policies. The Southwest tickets from Raleigh to Boston are easy – they just give you the credit back. Aer Lingus and Orbitz were surprisingly easy and quick, although I paid a little extra. Those are round trip from Boston to Dublin. The only fly in the ointment is from Dublin to Lisbon on TAP Airlines, who apparently does not give a flying fuck about customer service, and is impossible to contact. When I tried to rebook on the TAP site, it only gave me upgraded options at more than double what we originally paid. So that’s an issue. I’ve filed complaints, since that is my only option of communication. I’ve noticed many complaints on their social media accounts.
Our plan is to do most of this trip in Portugal this time, since that is Sandy’s dream trip that he’s wanted to do for several years and I kept promising, next time, next time, next time. I am enthusiastic about it too. Two weeks there will give us more time to explore areas beyond Lisbon. The train system looks to be cheap and widespread. I am working on learning some basic European Portuguese, which is NOT an easy language, but in the urban areas it is easy to get by with English.
This is actually a relief. I am done worrying about whether to do it or not. It is done.
slowly she turned 