Time to play ‘catch up’ again. First, the ankle. I’m now able to jog, roller blade and swim without any problems. There still seems to be a problem with 2 of the toes on that foot though. I can’t move them independently. Now, I never really paid a whole lot of attention to that before but I don’t have that problem on the other foot. The only thing I can think of is that when the bone shifted slightly, it got in the way of a ligament or tendon or whatever the hell controls toe movements. Or maybe it just needs more time. I’ll worry about it again next year.

One of the other physical activities I’ve been able to resume is riding my 3G Stepper. It’s a hybrid bicycle/stepper/elliptical that’s designed from the ground up for a maximum workout. I’ve had mine for several years and on one of my recent rides through the park I felt something slipping, then failing. It’s a good thing I was still close to the RV. I walked it back (after picking up a broken part) and started examining it. The crank failed from metal fatigue. So I called the company, sent them a pic of the broken part and they referred me to a bicycle shop in Cocoa Beach. 2 weeks and $47 later I was riding again. I’m once again the talk of the park as I ride around in the early morning. My neighbor from Alaska who just pulled out used to refer to it as my ‘torture machine’.

There’s even news on the work front. My original plan when I got down here was to get a stocking job at the local Walmart on the night shift. This would allow me to make some extra money, yet still be available for my granddaughter during the day. Well, things have changed quite a bit. I filled out the online application and heard absolutely nothing. I filled out several other online applications without any feedback at all. And then a miracle happened. I was browsing the county employment website and found a description that sounded amazingly like my previous workamper jobs. It’s a 55+ mobile home park which has most of the same activities as an RV park and it’s only about 1.5 miles away. I could have registered with yet another agency and followed their procedures but since they also posted the name of the employer, I took a shortcut and sent my resume and cover letter directly to the employer. They called me the very next day and 2 days later I was taking a drug test. They also have to do a background check so I still have maybe a week or 2 of freedom remaining. Even when all that is finished, this job will only occupy 2 days of the week so it should work out well.