Bright Ideas

I have just completed a three week medically imposed restriction from my wheelchair and days in my bed. I had two problems: A return of jaw pain and an open pressure sore on my bottom.

Let’s tackle the jaw pain first. I had slowly been reducing pain medicine since the May 11 radiological treatment of jaw pain. One pain reliever requires abstinence from alcohol. In my case, that means wine.

The last Monday of every month during the school year is book club where conversations about books are accompanied with snacks and wine. I was planning to have eliminated the painkiller from my diet, so I co...