CANKLES & SWOLLEN CALVES

 

I’ve had them, and that too!

Now I hear our President; the pussy grabber, convicted felon & rapist, and the draft dodger with bone spurs, has cankles. Well good, I say! But he deserves far, far worse! How anyone with a functioning brain voted for this horrible excuse for a human being is beyond me! Yet I know many who almost worship him.

Back when he was first running for the office, I saw the writing on the wall and planned to expatriate. Plus, the Third World is cheaper, and better suited (I thought) to someone on a fixed income.

I had it narrowed down to either Ecuador or Thailand. I took exploratory trips to each before deciding. – And glad I did!

In Ecuador my first trip, the shoes that were so comfortable strolling the mall & big box stores did not handle those cobble stone streets well. And I am unused that much walking, plus my home is a barefoot zone. On the Andes part of the trip, besides cankles I had sore torn-up painful feet.

In the Galapagos Islands, I bought a pair of flip-flops which brought some relief.

Less than six months later, I flew to Thailand. After getting off the plane, I was shocked to discover I had Ecuador feet! And my newly purchased walking shoes were digging into my flesh. But it was just the beginning!

Walking around Bangkok was torture! Next day I purchased a pair of thong sandals which I wore for the rest of the trip. However, there was lots of climbing as well as walking on the trip.

In Chiang Mai, I wanted to experience a Fish Massage. First, two men washed & bandaged my swollen bloody feet. When I rolled up my loose trousers, I was surprised at how tight they’d suddenly become. Back at the hotel, in my underwear, I couldn’t recognize my own legs in the mirror. I was shocked at how big my calves had become!

My trip was only half over, and I was in pain. However I was determined this was not going to slow me down!

In Mae Hong Son, I was surprised upon seeing a man wearing a TRUMP T-shirt. I gave him the finger, but he didn’t see me.

Both Ecuador & Thailand turned out to be too Third World for my taste. Among other things, I didn’t want to stand in long lines every month to pay my utility bills nor take a bus for 8 hours to see a movie; along with many other deal breakers.

And since then, both countries have gone thru negative changes that would have forced me to move had I expatriated. The result of a major change in government just as here!

Once home, my feet & calves soon returned to normal size. Of course, I’d gone on a strict fruit & vegetable diet. My weight plummeted to 118 lbs. I don’t care what Madison Ave says, scrawny and boney isn’t attractive! I looked much healthier and better when I gained some weight back.

Since then, I’ve twice had a cankle, first on the left foot, then on the right. The first was due to injury, the other too much salt. Both times, I looked like a human fiddler crab. But thankfully, both were temporary.

And as for Trump; please do us all a favor, have a stroke and croak!!!

WINN DIXIE DAYS

 

Now a memory.

In 1999 when my father & I first moved to Vero Beach, we were surprised to see a Winn Dixie supermarket being constructed only a short distance from us. We couldn’t understand why one was being built way out here, so far beyond the city limits.

Back then, going to or leaving town felt like driving thru a country lane, lush with orange groves and pastures. It was part of the appeal of moving here! In fact there was an orange grove directly across from our subdivision. We fell in love with this one because it resembles an old-fashioned neighborhood. Every home is different and has character.

But sadly, almost immediately the area around us began changing! The orange grove across the street disappeared and a cookie-cutter subdivision went up in its place. That subdivision was named The Grove, although not one orange tree remained!

Not long after, the other groves and pastures as well were plowed under for more subdivisions, shopping malls, and businesses. Shortly after my father’s death in 2001 a Publix shopping mall was built just around the corner where previously there was only wilderness.

Soon, came a CVS drug store and a Walgreens across from one another. And the sprawl continues to expand!

The Winn Dixie near me has closed. Currently it’s an empty sad-looking ghost building. An Aldi is scheduled to replace it sometime next year.

I’ve been assured that shopping will be cheaper there. But I miss Winn Dixie’s seafood & bakery. They were the best!  And for Valentine’s Day they sold the hugest, most delicious strawberries covered in thick dark chocolate. – The other stores didn’t compare!

And I miss the friendly and helpful staff. Winn Dixie didn’t have a high volume of employee turnover like Publix or Walmart. Many were older folks around my age who stayed. I hope they are all okay now and have moved on to better things.