Basic black goes with everything . . .

. . . which is why I chose it for my cast. On November 5 I had surgery to remodel my ankle. It was a major enterprise. The damaged, nonfunctional posterior tibial tendon was removed, and another tendon was moved forward and attached in its place. A bone graft was screwed to the side of of my heel to stabilize the foot in its proper position, and my Achilles tendon was notched in three places and stretched. It has been very painful.

Morphine is good. Not needing it anymore is also good. Large bags of frozen peas are great for ice packs. As I had work done on the left, right and back of my ankle, there was no direction to rest it that didn't press on something that was very tender, and of course my skin began to itch. Then there was the challenge of showering. Crutches proved to be generally dangerous, with a few spectacular crashes and lots of bruises as a result, so I've been in a wheelchair. The worst thing about this whole time is that I'm not productive and my creativity has been in a slump. What an excuse for not writing. I mean, nothing was wrong with my hands.

To counter these complaints, I've been grateful that good surgeons and solutions exist, and that I will be walking again. This is temporary and the worst is over.

2009 will begin my rehabilitation (lots of physical therapy), and I am looking forward to a healthy, functional foot in a few more months. And then I can return to my Silver Sneakers and Rusty Joints exercise classes and my writing. So............here's to a good holiday for everyone, and hope for a healthy new year.