At least you're not carrying extra

This post is dedicated to my brother-in-law, Brad. He probably doesn't remember it, but a couple years ago, he said something that has stuck with me. It was in the summer, and my sons and I had been messing around with the pickup, my prospects weren't all that great, I was having knee problems, and I was in what I thought of as a personally tough situation.

Thirty months of no running is over

25 May 2019

                This morning, I went for my first run since November 11, 2016. It was fabulous! My knees were completely pain-free, the foot which was operated on last October (see:  https://runner12345.blogspot.com/2019/05/hallux-valgus-bunion-surgery.html) was pain-free, and even the strange blisters on my toes did not hurt much. It was great, not only because my body didn’t hurt, but also because I was running around my neighborhood. The thing is that in the past—in Tirana, Panora, Emmetsburg, and Moscow—I got to know the area because I ran around it. I knew all the ways to get places, little connections that aren’t immediately evident, and I knew where things were. Until now, here in Kiev, my neighborhood has been quite small.

Hallux Valgus (bunion surgery)

On October 9, 2018, I had an operation on my right foot. The big toe had been pushing its way to the right, forcing the second toe to move up. It was serious enough that I often had terrible pain walking, and I could not wear some shoes normally. For example, when I put on one particular boot, it felt like a nail or something was sticking into the shoe and then into my foot. When I removed the boot and felt inside, there was nothing. I didn't wear those boots any longer.

Here is the doctor's explanation two days after the surgery. I was still in the hospital.

A new kitty!!

Notice the beautiful Iowa flag in the background. What follows is a great video of Princess being cute.