Critter capture, swimming pool serenade

The critter turned out to be a squirrel.

No big deal. I was actually happy to see it and discover that it was not a rat. It got caught in the trap that was in the living room near the beam with the gap around it. It was turning in circles, rattling the bars of its prison. I went into the kitchen for a few minutes, and when I returned, it had curled up in the back and gone to sleep.

I put the trap on the porch, and the critter control guy said he'd come get it later and release the squirrel away from here. He's going to come back and fill in the gap around the beam.

It was pouring yesterday, too nasty to get a good walk in with Maddie. My knees and feet still hurt, which is discouraging. I am going to increase my Neurontin dose, which hopefully will help with the neuropathy, but that's only part of my problem. It's been more than a week since I overdid it on the treadmill, and although I'm walking better, I'm still nowhere near being able to run or play tennis.

So at the Y yesterday, I did a combination of water jogging and laps. Nobody was in the pool, and the lifeguard was just sitting there with obviously nothing to do. I noticed he had a ukelele by his side, and I asked if he would play it to ease the boredom of water jogging. He picked it up and began to play as I slid into the water. He was quite good.

A friend who had returned from an island vacation talked the other night about the warm water and temperatures. I have to admit I was a little jealous. But as the lifeguard played his beautiful music and the small waves lapped around me, my pain dissolved, and I had to smile.

I had driven only about 10 miles to Holyoke, but if I closed my eyes, I could be near a warm beach, serenaded as I swam.

The lifeguard played the whole time I was in the water. On my way out I thanked him, ready to face the dreary day.