The Saga of a Patch Editor Stuck at Home

Ever had cabin fever so bad you wanted to burn down the cabin? That’s me, your local Patch editor.

On Oct. 19, Dr. Joshua Nadaud surgically corrected my entire left foot. By the time he was done, I had a new arch, a newly-aligned foot; a repaired bunion and a foot filled with a plate, screws, bolts and other hardware. I could refill the bins at the Ladue Hardware store.

But now the recovery is underway. I get to figure out how each day plays out. By the way, ever try and sleep with a 10-pound cast? No fun.

The routine includes resting, book reading, catching up on the television news, solitary lunches and waiting all day for the dear wife to return home from her job as a baby therapist at Mercy Hospital. I bug my friends and relatives on the phone, but mostly, they are busy.

Advice to someone recovering at home from surgery: have a plan.

I usually don’t have that kind of plan. My day is normally structured around work for Patch. That means staff meetings, covering the school board and city council meetings. That means going to the local schools to cover a wide swath of sports competition.

Burroughs is in the football playoffs, and I am tethered to the dock. That’s painful. I’d much rather be roaming the sidelines looking for a great shot of Ezekiel Ellliott out streaking by a hapless defensive back.

Don’t worry folks. I already notified my boss, Kurt Greenbaum, I intend to be back at the PC soon. My first days of work will have to be done from home.

Although it was my left foot that got surgically remade, driving will be a scary thing. I have steps in front and back of my home, and that presents a challenge just getting out of the house. I wish my garage was on ground level and out a door without steps, but it is not.

So I get to take out the scales and balance boredom versus industry. I’ll take the latter. It just seems that a steady diet of work is in my DNA. I like talking to folks, taking their pictures, figuring out what the pulse is of the community.

In the meantime, I just polished off the book “Friends for Life” by Burroughs coach Jim Lemen and former super star Jud Calkins and I’m halfway through the superlative local history book, “Ladue Found” by publisher Charlene Bry.

For the record, both books are majestic recounts of what’s happened in our home town.  I figured this is a good way to keep the skills sharp, and gives me something to review just as soon as I get back

I’m counting the hours, minutes and days until work in Ladue-Frontenac and Olivette begins anew.