Like Loaves of Bread

When he got up in the morning, my grandpa would always need my grandma’s help to slide his feet into his slippers.  His feet were so square, like boxes with five pink toes straining to pop off the fronts of them.

My feet used to be normal. I used to look down at them and wiggle my toes and see tendons flashing under the skin as they did their work.  At some point this spring, I noticed that my ankles were swollen.  I’ll be honest, I didn’t really think much of it, because they didn’t hurt.

And then my feet began to swell.  They look like dough, like loaves of bread at the bottom of my legs, rising over the day.  In the evenings, I try to lay on the couch with my feet above my head.  Sometimes, though, this hurts, as the fluid drains.  Other times, it doesn’t feel like anything.

Saturday, when I took the dog to the park, my left foot was so swollen that I had to undo my laces to get my foot in my shoe and then, over the course of the walk, tighten them back up as my foot shrank back down into normal proportions.  Funny enough, the one thing that helps them the most is to just get out there and walk the shit out of them.  Of course, getting motivated to walk when your feet look like two tiny blimps and are tender to the touch is not always easy.

So, thank goodness for Mrs. Wigglebottom.

Weirdly enough, they also itch.  It’s difficult to scratch them, though, because it hurts to touch them.

Yes, I am going to the doctor about this, because clearly something is wrong.

But the real question, I think, is whether I need some cute slippers to wear around the world when I’m not in my walking shoes, because all the shoes I own bug me at the moment, or if I can just hire some folks to carry me around.

Random Things–The Things That Need Our Good Vibes Edition

1.  The Jena Six–I’m with Blue Collar Muse on this.  When you first hear about it, you assume there must be some back story that would explain this.  But then you start digging and you realize that, the more you find out about the situation, the worse it becomes.  These kids have gotten and are getting royally screwed over and they need our help and support.  More here.

2.  The West Memphis Three–Rick Maynard brings us news that forensic evidence in the case points to a suspect.  Unsurprisingly, it’s not any of the three men sitting in prison these past 14 years.  Surprisingly, it’s not the stepfather of the kid, who upon hearing that the kid was found with bite marks on him, had all his teeth removed.  When, hopefully, the West Memphis Three are finally released, I really hope they sue Arkansas back into the stone age.  I don’t know if they can do that, but damn.

3.  Granted, it’s not quite the injustice of the other two, but Joe Powell needs our good vibes.  From what he can tell, someone broke into his house–perhaps with the intent to take his dog–and in the chaos, his dog escaped and ran off.  As you can imagine, he’s distraught.