This year, I have been to the doctor many times for this and that. Mainly my feet: Morton’s neuroma. I developed a neuroma in my right foot in my 40s and managed it with orthotics. However, when I started walking 10k steps per day, it inflamed the nerves in my feet. Walking on hard surfaces causes substantial discomfort. The root cause of Morton's neuroma is footwear and high-impact sports, basketball, running, and, for women, high heels. After I got my right foot treated, my left one started doing the same. I was going to a doctor in Bowling Green, KY, but I switched because I didn't get results. My current doctor is home-based in Clarksville, Tennessee, about the same distance we have to travel to Bowling Green, just a few miles away. I just finished an application of “alcohol ablation” to both feet several days ago. Two shots in my right foot and one in the left to destroy the nerve. I have noticed some improvement, and that is encouraging.
Before last year, the former doctor severed the ligament between the third and fourth metatarsals, “toes.” That did not work. I have spent over a year gingerly walking and looking for ways to reduce the discomfort. Morton’s neuroma is pain in the ball of the foot, where the nerve forms a callus around itself, which in turn becomes very uncomfortable.
The picture below shows a Morton's neuroma. See picture below .
Over the last almost two years, we've had added obstacles: my feet and getting things done at my house in Alabama. Dora Mae and I fit like two peas in a pod; we are both financial hawks, so managing our finances so we can do the things we love is manageable and gives us what we want and like. Last year was our most restricted one so far, because of my feet. However, we are encouraged by the new doctor’s skill and the progress of treatment. There has been a noticeable change, and my comfort level has somewhat returned, but not enough for me to run or walk on hard surfaces.
I am also still recovering from the lingering effects of a COVID-19 infection from four years ago. I have undergone every possible medical test for this issue, all of which have come back negative. This means modern medicine can't diagnose or treat my symptoms. Specifically, I experience near-constant phlegm secretion on the left side of my throat, though it has lessened somewhat over time. My online research indicates this is a known, ongoing issue many people face after recovering from COVID-19.
Our goal in Kentucky is to save money so we can spend the winter in Florida. We limit our spending and activities so we can enjoy winter in Florida. We move there for 4 months, then move back to Kentucky. We pack a small U-Haul, unload in Ocklawaha, Fla., and do the same when we return to Kentucky. We first drive to my house in Alabama, spend the night, then go to Dothan for the night, and then to Ocklawaha. Then at the end we reverse the process. Prepping for our move to Florida and back involves a lot of stuff here in Kentucky. We have to secure everything and make sure all the security is in place and working. I have Dora Mae’s house armed to the kilt, an old Scottish saying. We have full internet access to the lights and cameras on our phones, with 24/7 monitoring. Overall, I am in good health, managing my discomforts, and refusing to be inactive.
So, with that said, we focus on going to Florida for four months each year, and everything we do supports that goal. The house in Alabama is a major issue for me in that it is important that I keep it up should Dora Mae die before me. Stacey is a wonderful person, but lacks skills in taking care of my house. I am holding on to it as long as she wants to live there, but she doesn't have what it takes to take care of the house, and I need to make sure it is kept up, just in case Dora Mae kicks the bucket before me.
This year, a massive electrical storm in Hartselle knocked out all my 20-amp breakers and the one 15-amp breaker. It took me a few days to figure it out, so I didn't have to call an electrician, which would have cost me well over $1,000. I did a lot of research on A.I., as I normally do when solving my own problems, and I take my time and fix it myself. After trying what was recommended, I discovered the breaker was the issue. The electrical storm compromised the breakers, and once I replaced them, the problem was totally fixed. Plus, I repaired my shed out back, painted it, and changed most of the house lighting from standard bulbs to LED Fans/Lights to save money. We also installed cameras and pay a young Christian man to mow the lawn. We installed a solar camera on my shed so I could check the roof and siding for storm damage. I am also replacing the capacitor on my air conditioning, either on November 1st when I go to vote or later in November. I removed all the old lighting downstairs and upstairs and replaced it with low-voltage LED lighting. I also keep the driveway and the outside of the house clean of mold. I ripped out all the shrubs because Stacey doesn’t have the funds to pay to get things done. She can pay the electric and water bills and keep the house occupied, so I don’t have to sell it. Once you sell, you can never get everything back at the same cost. You either settle for less or maintain what you have. I pay higher taxes in Alabama because I don’t live in the house for less than six months, so they charge me more.
We are both in very good health despite other issues. As stated, we manage our budget with a “fine-tooth comb” so we can do the things we enjoy within our means. We are both debt-free, but inflation has taken its toll, so we make sacrifices to get where we want to be; we go to Florida every year as long as we are able. I know that is a lot of explanation, but it is our reality.
Yes, I would love for us to get together. As for this year, that wouldn't be possible. We are basically flanked by this and that, with very little time before we head to Florida. When we travel, we do all we can do to avoid Nashville, unless it is very early Sunday Morning. I-24 and I-65 are congested all the way up to Nashville. I-24 is hazardous as it gets close to Nashville. We avoid it like the plague and drive about an hour out of our way to be safe. There are a lot of wrecks on I-24 as it enters Nashville. Atlanta’s I-285 is called the Circle of Death. Why talk about traffic? At my age, I have no desire to be in the middle of unsafe, anxious, jet-set people, so I go out of my way to avoid it. Our route to Florida avoids Nashville and Atlanta. Because I pull a U-Haul trailer, I generally get behind a safe tractor-trailer and take it easy, letting it become a wall of safety. I keep my distance and let the vehicle radar keep me back. The most unsafe stretch of internet in Florida is between Orlando and Tampa. I-75 can be crowded, but we ride behind the tractor-trailers and relax.
If you and Jan will be in Florida between December 1 and mid-March the following year, we would love to have you come by our place to visit. While we can't offer lodging, it is a comfortable cottage in a good neighborhood. We are about 30 minutes from Silver Springs, one of our favorite places to hike and kayak. It is the largest freshwater spring in the world. See Picture below
Or, if you and Jan are up this way, let us know, and we'll have a place for you to sleep, food to eat, and places to see. A sizable Mennonite community lives here. Their history is very interesting, and they are very nice people. Hopefully, Spa Lake will be up and running next year, as the flood a year and a half ago damaged the dam and washed out the only road to the public access. We hope it is open next year so we can get back to kayaking. We have kayaked on the Silver River close to 50 times, perhaps over 50. We've seen alligators, Monkeys, Manatees, Birds, and wild pigs occasionally, but we have never seen a bear. At one place we stayed before us, the person left garbage on the porch, and a bear came through the screen and searched it, but we haven't seen one yet and don’t want to.
