It happened during the night! I awoke with an excruciating pain in my left knee. It was a mystery since there was no injury to explain it! As if during the dark hours someone with a voodoo doll bashed my knee with a hammer and then shoved a sharp pin into it!
Days before,
I was bragging to a neighbor that I’m only 5 years away from age 80 yet I can
still take my stairs 2 steps a time at a fast clip. -- Now, just rising from a
chair hurts!
The week
before I’d completed a cat-sitting job. I had 3 throughout the summer. I was
glad this hadn’t developed then. The job requires squatting & kneeling. I
like to get down on the floor to pet and play with the cat.
Before the 1st
job, I was shown a tube of ointment and told it worked wonderfully on bites
& scratches. Thankfully, I didn’t need it. Whenever I felt the cat bearing
down with teeth or claws, I‘d let out a shrill scream that would frighten the
cat and she’d release me.
When the job
ended, I discovered a new tea on the market that was perfect for my Saturday AM
breakfast! It’s Taylor’s Blackberry & Raspberry infusion. While pouring,
it’s the color of cherry soda. For all I know, that color is derived from
crushed beetles rather than berries. However, if you watch Survivor or Fear
Factor, you know people have consumed far worse and survived.
Back in the
1970’s when lunching at my favorite Italian Restaurant, I ordered a pot of tea
with my ravioli. As I poured it into my cup, I was horrified to see cockroach
parts floating in the tea. The waitress was embarrassed and brought a fresh pot.
Upon my next
visit, I ordered tea emphatically stating, “No cockroach pieces.”
“I’m
surprised you came back!” the waitress exclaimed.
As she
walked away, my father chortled. “They probably charge extra for the cockroach
parts,” he said.
Well, the
cuisine there was so delicious, I didn’t care!
I predict
that in another generation, if AI doesn’t wipe us out first, eating bugs for
protein will be so common and normal no one will think twice about it. A
necessity due to the exploding world population.
As to my knee,
I consulted Doctor Google. It appears I’ve developed osteoarthritis, which is
not unusual in people my age. This happens suddenly without any injury. I’ve
discovered that if I straighten and stiffen my leg before rising, it doesn’t
hurt as badly. There is still pain, but it’s not as excruciating.
I’ll
continue to cat-sit, I need the money. Plus I love the little critters. I’ll
just have to make some adjustments. My cat-sitting jobs should be drying up until
spring. I doubt my clients will be traveling north to visit relatives once the
weather turns cold.
