Gopher Gulch: Holding it all together

 I’m sure glad it’s winter. It’s ordinarily my least favorite time of year, but this situation would be intolerable during the summer. I might have gotten stupid anyhow but was saved from my own impatience by what one local doctor called “a cheap piece of crap.” It must have come from the surgical appliance bargain bin.

What is technically called “exterior fixation” looks like a pair of fancy bridge abutments through each of which two pins the size of 10 penny nails hold my bones together. They’re attached to a three-dimensional bridge with gears, teeth, dials and locks. It all looks very high tech.

On a Friday night exactly five weeks after breaking my wrist, I decided that the next day I’d tackle just a little bit of housework. I was free of pain and House is a disaster. Other than keeping my few dishes washed, feeding the birds and cleaning the litter box, I’ve followed orders to hold still.