Leg Cramps

Mr. James, a contemporary of my father, who attends our church, told me last year that, "I can still do a hard day's work, it just takes me most of a week."  I'm starting to understand what he means.

I finished that sewer-pipe job yesterday.  Every day since the breakdown, I've been going over to the hole and throwing a little dirt into it, until I gave out from pushing a shovel.  My yard is mostly clay and pit run, a great foundation for a building, but absolutely hell for digging.  Putting dirt back in a hole isn't any easier, so I stretched the job out to a couple of hours per day and yesterday I got the dirt back in the hole,   Evidently, I favor my left leg for pushing the shovel into the soil, because my left leg started cramping last night and I'd get up and walk it off.

I know all the remedies, quinine pills, orange juice, bananas, pickle juice.  Twice that leg cramped on me, once about midnight and again just now, at 4:30.  After the 4:30 episode I decided to make coffee, as I was already up.  I think I'm going to take it easy today.  Getting old ain't for sissies, and this old man needs a break.