January 27

Two slightly-scuffed cordovan shoes. Unremarkable, until you find out that they're on my feet, and that I'm wearing two shoes instead of one shoe and an orthopedic boot for my foot injury. My healing process has been slower than I had hoped it would be. I can sum up all the technical information in one sentence: My right foot still hurts!

That having been said, it doesn't hurt nearly as much as it hurt a month ago.

I'm getting back into the swing of everyday activities that had been closed to me while my mobility was limited -- exciting stuff, like long trips to the grocery store and filling up a cart with stuff, or shoveling snow, or just taking Pogo for walks that go past the backyard gate and actually involve getting all the way around the block.

It just occurred to be that one of the reasons I've been feeling so stressed out of late is, that with one bum foot, I really have been as busy as a one-legged ass kicker.

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January 13

I was beside myself trying to come up with an image to post for the Photo of the Day.

No, really. I was -- albeit, not this literally.

It was a slow day for me, and I didn't get nearly as much done as I'd intended. I didn't get my car in for an oil change, I didn't get my car in for it's annual inspection, and other than helping a friend with a craigslist advert, I didn't accomplish bupkis today. It's not like I was even very busy.

Unfortunately, slow days don't always find me at my most creative, or my most observant, or my most experimental. Today was the exception.

I had to do a little repair work on my "boot," the special shoe I'm wearing on my right foot until it heals (which it's doing, albeit too slowly). The photo of the toe of the boot, having been carefully super-glued back together and adorned with a wooden sunburst of clothespins, was my best option until I decided to bend the self-portrait rule and do a little Photoshop magic.

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January 08

Tico is my downstairs neighbor cat, and a fearless scourge of small birds in our neighborhood. I was doing the latest performance of the Backyard Ballet today, letting Pogo out and bringing Jasper in, when I spied Tico on the other side of the backyard, casually sauntering back toward the house with his prey. This is a common enough occurrence, but when it happened before, I hadn't been trying to complete a Photo of the Day project.

One of the problems of having an injured foot is that your world begins to shrink. I haven't been out doing much or going places, so I'm left with the house, the job, and the commute to document things about my life. I'm working on the whole healing thing, but it's simply going to take time.

Meanwhile, I chose this photo because Tico and his bird fascinated Pogo. Below are some smaller pics of Pogo trying to approach Tico. It was like watching a chase in slow motion; both Pogo and Tico were walking, Pogo with what I can only describe as a "hey whatcha got there?" expression on his face, while Tico was all "Mr. Cool Kitty," about the whole thing.

In the end, Pogo didn't get to see the dead bird -- much to his disappointment. Isn't it always the case that puppy dogs have to give up so much just to keep their humans happy?

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January 06

This photo feels like it should have some kind of artsy-fartsy name attached to it. "Pogo in the Backyard," though, doesn't quite do it for me. (I'll entertain suggestions. Really. Proof that somebody reads this thing would be wonderful.)

Since I hurt my foot, my landladies and downstairs neighbors have kindly let Pogo go into their backyard for his walks. Getting around sidewalks that are salty and irritate his paws is bad enough, but with an injured foot, I have trouble navigating slippery sidewalks myself.

Getting Pogo into the backyard is kind of a production. The landladies' dog, Jasper, is rather territorial about his backyard, so I have to bring him in through the basement dog flap while letting Pogo out onto the porch through the back door. It's a masterpiece of timing, really, and I'm getting much better at it.

While I was doing the backyard ballet today, I happened to look down from a second-floor window and thought to myself what a great photo it would be to get my black-and-white dog on a stark white background. Thus, today's photo of the day.

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January 02

Today's photo is of my right foot. I injured it last weekend, and it has already impacted my plans for Photo of the Day -- namely, I can't move as easily as I'm accustomed to doing. I've been working on a series of topics for photos, but almost all of them require some amount of peripatetic activity.

My ability to move is further hampered by the fact that those socks are all that are between my foot and the chill January air (and snow, ice, sleet, slush, and rain). Wrapping the offending appendage in plastic bags is effective in keeping it dry, but does nothing for traction. So when it's slippery, wet, and slushy outside, my already-unstable footing is further hindered.

And, not for nothing, but the damn thing hurts!

Nonetheless, despite my unplanned foot issue, I still intend to work on the Photo of the Day project.

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