La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
Jack (I mean me) has been a very dull boy. The foot is doing well. The meds are almost done. I have one more anticoagulant injection tonight. I have no black and blues on my belly but nine little pin-pricks. It’s an annoyance I’ll be happy to be done with.
I might not get out much in the coming days. A lot of rain (thank goddess) is expected and I don’t think I feel like bagging my foot for a night on the town. Dark storm clouds are currently rolling in across the sea. Neither of us slept well Tuesday night, so we gave Isabel the day off Wednesday and went back to bed until after 12. I missed my Wednesday morning coffee at Mesón Salvador. But it’s still early. Maybe I should go today before the rain arrives (expected mid-afternoon).
The first two photos, one above and one below, are of our neighborhood train station. I hope to be able to get back into Málaga in April. It’s more walking than I can manage right now, so I’ll miss out on the Semana Santa processions (and crowds).
The cats now seem to think they should be served treats every one and a half hours. If it were up to San Geraldo, they would. I’m bad cop (the New Yorker) and try to keep them on an every three hour schedule — and they’re meowing drives SG crazy.
He sido un chico muy aburrido. El pie va bien. Los medicamentos casi están listos. Esta noche tengo una inyección más de anticoagulante. No tengo negro ni azul en el vientre, sino nueve pequeños pinchazos. Es una molestia con la que estaré feliz de terminar.
Puede que no salga mucho en los próximos días. Se espera mucha lluvia (gracias a Dios) y no creo que tenga ganas de meter el pie en una bolsa para pasar la noche en la ciudad. Actualmente, oscuras nubes de tormenta se acercan al mar. Ninguno de los dos durmió bien el martes por la noche, así que le dimos a Isabel el día libre el miércoles y volvimos a la cama hasta después de las 12. Me perdí mi café del miércoles por la mañana en el Mesón Salvador. Pero todavía es temprano. Quizás debería ir hoy antes de que llegue la lluvia (prevista a media tarde).
Las dos primeras fotos, una arriba y otra abajo, son de la estación de tren de nuestro barrio. Espero poder volver a Málaga en abril. En este momento hay que caminar más de lo que puedo soportar, así que me perderé las procesiones de Semana Santa (y las multitudes).
Los gatos ahora parecen pensar que se les deben servir golosinas cada hora y media. Si fuera por San Geraldo, lo harían. Soy el policía malo (el neoyorquino) y trato de mantenerlos en un horario cada tres horas, y sus maullidos vuelven loco a SG.


• El tallo de flor de aloe vera más alto de nuestro pasillo ha crecido aproximadamente hasta mi altura.

• Mientras comíamos, esperando afuera de la sala por sus aperetivos después del almuerzo. ¿Podrían ser más obvios?

• Moose salió momentáneamente de la formación. Rápidamente retrocedió.

• Otro casi accidente. Me golpearon justo debajo del ojo (en el hueso cigomático) con un bate de béisbol. El médico dijo que un milímetro más arriba y habría perdido el ojo. Entonces, no, esa área hinchada debajo de mi ojo derecho no se debe a estar viejo y cansado. Es una cicatriz de un ojo morado hace mucho tiempo.





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Ouch! That black eye looks like it was super painful!
Glad to know you’re healing…and also that we’re not the only ones totally ruled by our pets!
J Barlow:
I thought I’d be able to walk more and stand more, but at least it feels fine when I’m reclining. That black eye photo was taken after it had healed quite a bit. It was hideous.
When you got hit with that bat, I can just imagine how worried your mother was. And I bet the cat boys are loving having you home all this extra time!!! In that youth picture I see the resemblance to the Kid brother more then ever.
Mistress Borghese:
I ran up the front lawn with my baseball cap over my eye. I collapsed once. My mother was talking to a neighbor who drove us to hospital. I was proud I had protected my eye with my baseball cap. My mother’s response? “That filthy cap!” Dale looked more like my father’s family. KB is like my mother’s family (especially my grandfather). I’m a cross between the two. So you could always find the family resemblance. (Although my aunt Sylvie said The Kid Brother was always better looking than me.)
I like how there is just that one spot of colour in the first black and white photo. An interesting effect — is it done in photoshop or how do you do that?
Debra:
Yes, I use Photoshop. In this case, I selected all but the red sign, then “hue/saturation”; “saturation”; and brought the saturation down to the B&W effect while leaving the sign alone. There’s probably an easier way to do it, but this takes no time.
That aloe vera certainly gives my tiny kitchen plant something to aim for.
I’m glad you’re recovering if slowly. Is it raining all over the world? Boud.
Boud:
We have had little to no rain this season. Yesterday was some nice rain for a while. We’re hoping for more this afternoon and then a really good soaking tomorrow. Our reservoirs are at a dangerously low level. Our aloes started on the terrace, but they quickly outgrew the space. They’ve since taken over the hall. I have to regularly thin them. They’re overdue, but that will have to wait.
The Boys pretending to be bored is wonderful because the minute you move in The Treat Direction I know they’ll be up and running!
Bob:
You have that exactly right. Dudo is better at the pretense.
I note the cats are watching, they don’t want to nod off and miss a treat. If it were up to me, the cats would weigh about 30 pounds each.
David:
Even when the cats look like they’re sleeping, all I have to do is say “So…” and they’re up. SG is more of a pushover than I am.
Your cats are truly an interesting pair. They are so handsome and so sleek. And so funny! It’s like their whole life is based around those treats. They’re like little junkies waiting for that next fix and you and SG are “the man”.
You were the most darling boy. Even with a black eye.
Glad you’re getting your rain. Ours has cleared and the sky is cloudless and it is a little cooler again. Blessings!
Ms. Moon
MsMaryMoon:
It does sometimes feel like all the cats live for are their treats. But then Dudo brings me a toy, or races me to bed (or orders me to bed) and Moose follows us both around the house just to get petted and loved. I thought I looked kind of cute with the black eye. We had a nice rain yesterday afternoon. Tomorrow is supposed to be a big day for rain. Here’s hoping. Even more, here’s hoping it rains on the reservoirs.
Wow. That eye looks really bad. You were lucky that more damage wasn’t done. I love looking at old photos of you and your family. It’s a glimpse into your life. I have absolutely no photos of myself as a kid. I guess they must be all at my mother’s house. Glad you are on the mend.
mcpersonalspace54:
By the time of that photo, the eye was looking really good. It was a pulpy mess. I used to always scan photos when we visited my mother. I took my father’s slides home years ago. And then I went through her thousands of remaining photos after she died. I’ve still got a mess of them to scan and share.
That’s good that you’ve done that. It is your family’s history.
Eyes wide shut! Cats appear so tranquil but they are planning all the time.
Smart to listen to your body. You know best.
Jim:
Moose is currently walking around the house yowling. He’s lonely. (He hasn’t had any attention for 10 minutes.) Even Dudo is trying to ignore him. Yeah, my body (foot) was screaming at me yesterday afternoon. I need to elevate more and stand and hobble less.
I love Ms Moon’s description of you guys and the cats! It’s so on point (en pointe?).
I never noticed a swollen spot below your eye before. You are flawless, well, except for that klutzy thing you have going on.
Take care, Scoot. I will think of you whenever I give myself my four daily shots to the belly. The distraction will be welcome.
Deedles:
If it weren’t for the scar under my eye, I WOULD be flawless. Ugh, 4 daily shots. I knew that, too. I’ll stop complaining about my one shot a night (well, I’m done with that anyway). You’re a much better person than I!
Sweetie, if I were a better person than you, I would be able to control my diabetes with diet and exercise. I also have more cushion on my middle so the shots don’t hurt unless I hit a nerve or something. I’m all for complaining about shots. I was commiserating, not judging. I love you to pieces, Scooteroo!
Deedles:
I knew you weren’t judging. I just thought, crap, Deedles doesn’t complain!
Ooh, that is a nasty mark under your eye! Baseball bat you say? You weren’t the umpire, were you?
Kirk:
I was the catcher. Dale was the pitcher. And Vincent Mancusi was the batter. He hit the ball and threw the bat to run the imaginary bases. After I was hit, I ran home. And Dale punched Vincent Mancusi. Poor kid. We never played together again. And the eye was already well healed in that photo. I remember hold a handkerchief over my eye at school. I shared a desk with Robin Kramer and she had the awful view of that pulp.
I’m going to have to hunt down a close up of your current photo, because I’ve never noticed the scar. Tell SG to be strong, don’t let the cats bully him.
Shirley:
The scar really just looks like an extra bag under that eye. SG is a lost cause when it comes to the cats.
That’s a dandy of a black eye!! My grandmother gave me one when I was 13!
Kelly:
Your grandmother gave you one? Intentionally?
She hit me in the face/eye with a big rock, but it wasn’t really intentional.
Kelly:
She hit you in the face with a big rock, but it wasn’t “really” intentional. It sounds like there’s more to that story!
Did you plonk a raw steak on it? That’s the cartoon cliché about black eyes I remember from when I was a kid – and I have no idea to this day whether it had any genuine medical credence. Jx
PS Sorry we left you with all those storms when we flew home from Spain…
Jon:
The big news about a raw steak on the eye is all the bacteria you introducing. Except for the random winds, the weather hasn’t been bad. We had good rain yesterday afternoon and are waiting for its return now. But you were here for the best weather.
Just catching up on all your missed posts — glad you’re on the mend, Mitchell, and the boys haven’t wasted away to mere shadows of their former selves!
I like your black and white photo of the train station above with the illuminated red sign — it looks sinister and yet completely benign at the same time. Your photo of the pink orchid the other day was incredible too: you captured the velvety softness of its petals perfectly!
Tundra Bunny:
Thanks for the kind words about my photos. I loved all the angles in that view of the train station. And more interesting to me in black & white. I’m waiting for another interesting orchid opportunity. It’s now got three fully opened flowers.
That’s a helluva nasty black eye you had as a kid. It must have hurt like a bitch. Stay cozy and comfortable at home while it rains and keep all your parts dry, including your pants.
Love,
Janie
janiejunebug:
I remember it hurting like hell after I got hit. Can’t remember the hospital at all. The photo was taken possibly a week after I was hit. It was hideous at the start.
Don’t give in! Our Tasha (a dog, for cryin’ out loud), turns on the pitiful act nearly a full hour before lunch time, right after she’s devoured a hand full of kibble from her “tricky treat ball.” Mind you, she gets a good breakfast first thing and treats after her morning walk, so she’s not starving. She positions herself in front of me and stares with those sad puppy-dog eyes and tries to get me to break. I’m doing my best to stand firm. Lunch is at 11h25. It used to be at noon. I have not always been strong.
Walt the Fourth:
Dudo wouldn’t be so bad. He usually does what Tasha does and stares with those accusatory kitty cat eyes. Moose doesn’t shut up and will go on incessantly for as long as it takes. I learned to tune him out, but he makes SG crazy.
Finally catching up on blogs. So glad your procedure went well and you are healing. Don’t rush it, short term patience ensures no long term problems. Let your foot heal properly before you start cartwheeling and trampolining again!
Sassybear:
Yeah, I need a daily attitude pep talk. It helps that I’ll be seeing the surgeon again Monday morning. And now back to bed.
Why are older pets so demanding about treats? Olga nearly drives us nuts and Dave doesn’t do his part because he gives in to her EVERY TIME. (OK, I do too.)
I love the “cats in formation” picture. Very Esther Williams.
I have never had a black eye. It’s a masculine rite of passage I somehow missed. I’m not complaining.
Steve:
I would guess my father was proud of that black eye. Just for what it suggested about his son. If I’m not here SG gives in every time, too. I can be pretty tough… but still. They’re just such creatures of habit. Even if they’re not hungry, they come in at treat time (especially Moose). If we do something once and they like it, it becomes their routine. I’m fascinated by how often the cats end up in formation.
I am glad the foot is healing.
Urspo:
On our way to doctor in an hour. I’m anxious to see what it actually looks like.