Send in the Clowns

So, yesterday morning I'm sitting with my foot up, as per usual these days, drinking the elixir of life coffee and reading the paper when it starts.

The oop-ack of a cat barfing.

Now, this isn't an unusual occurrence in my house.

I do, after all, have four cats.

None of whom will allow brushing.

The sound was coming from upstairs, in the hallway.

Before I could register much more than "somebody needs hairball goo," Ivy was off like a shot.

Now, remember, she's not supposed to "bound, run or otherwise exert herself" for at least five more days.

Right.

I leapt up and hobbled to the stairway landing, but these days my "fast" is not nearly fast enough.

Before I even made it to the baby gate, Ivy had charged through, the gate crashed onto the landing, and she was up the stairs snarfing.

You see, nothing is more tasty to a dog than cat barf.

Except maybe cat poop, but that's another story.

So, I hobbled quickly up the stairs, grabbed her leash, and hauled her, ever so gently, back down the stairs. But Ivy, the little princess, was in a frenzy of culinary exuberance. Somehow, I managed to wrestle her - carefully - into her kennel.

Back up the short set of steps to the landing I gimped and after several excruciating attempts, managed to put the somewhat mangled baby gate back across the stairwell.

Phew!

What a relief.

I turned and stepped down.

It was a long way down.

You see, I had thought I was on the bottom step.

Silly me.

Instead, I had stepped off into space from several steps up, landing, of course, full force on my right foot.

The broken one.

Need I say even say "ouch?"

I've ratcheted up my Aleve dosage and have been trying even harder to stay off my foot.

But the aching is back.

I can again feel the exact spot where the fracture is.

It's almost like there's an ice pick marking the spot.

Looks like my podiatrist will soon be able to afford another little vacation.

I may just have to be strapped down for 6 weeks so this can heal.

At least I didn't have to clean up the cat barf...