Saturday, December 13, 2008

Fossils and Toes

Roger broke his toe the other day. It had absolutely nothing to do with this incredible fossil we saw on a recent minus-tide walk. He didn't stumble over it or anything like that. I just think the fossil and toe pics belong together because they're both bones. I must have a very simple mind. Did you ever wonder what you will leave behind? What part of you will persist long, long, long after you've drawn your last breath. I suspect Roger's toe will not end up fused and hardened to rock. Pity. It's such a nice toe. But here is some critter's ribs that made it through a lot of years. We are always struck by the utter randomness of leaving these ancient remnants. It's like they possessed a fortitude without effort. Nothing can will itself to such longevity. It's a luck of the elemental draw. Perfect conditions to die in.

Still Roger broke his toe the other day. He had a few things to say about it:

robin and i moved some furniture thursday. a small, heavy couch/foldout bed and a recliner chair had to go down a steep, narrow stairway with a tight bend at the top. i, foolishly, worked barefoot. hey, we were in the house and i don't wear shoes inside. no, nothing fell on my foot. the couch and chair were safely down, and i had only a few very minor skin scrapes to show. success. but wait. had i closed the exterior door at the bottom of the stairs? the cat could go out there and be at large. i was on the other side of the house so i darted in the through the open doorway here to go check on the other door. a small stumble as i darted through the door way caused my left foot to hit the jamb, exactly on that toe. OUCH!!!OW!OW!OW!

No way that toe is ever going to be fossilized. I just don't think it's going to have the luck of the draw. It would be cool though, wouldn't it? Some people have had their heads frozen (Walt Disney?), in a wishful effort to wake up after death in the future, but I think if I had a choice I would love to end up a fossil. Wouldn't you? Hey, now there's a new industry just waiting to be discovered: Fossilize Me, Inc.

...............update...................

without an x-ray picture or a seriously and obviously out-of-kilter toe, hanging sideways or pointing straight up, solid diagnosis of a broken foot digit is guesswork. we relied on pictures from the intertubes clearly labeled "broken toe." also on descriptions of severe pain. i could relate to the pain part and one of the pictures could have been of my toe. the universally suggested treatment seemed to be ice at first and taping the broken toe to a neighboring toe. if one support is good, i reasoned, two are better. after two days of splinting three toes together, relieved by an hour of freedom in the morning, the redness, which extended well up onto the foot, has mostly gone away, as has constant low-level pain. so i have freed the injured member from bondage. the second joint from the tip is still very sensitive to touch and walking is a bit uncomfy. thanks for the good wishes. i am on the mend, tho i will never play the piano again.

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