Love My Compression Socks

What can I do to put you into a pair of compression socks today?

Some weeks ago, I read a Cleveland Clinic Vascular Department piece about the benefits of compression socks for people "my age" and immediately trotted over to Amazon to find a mind-blowing selection socks for every budget. Two days later I took delivery on a three-pack in basic black and my transformation into a compression sock devotee began.

I'm familiar with the tightness and general "feel" of compression socks from my years in healthcare. Patients having surgery generally wear medical grade ones throughout their procedures and into the post-op period to prevent blood clots, and I've had to help my share of patients into their stockings. If they're correctly-sized, they're' incredibly snug, but there's something to be said for extreme leg support. 

I've worn super-support pantyhose myself and know how much better everything-from-the-waist-down feels after a busy 12 to 16 hour shift. There's a very valid reason waitresses at Hooters swear by them. 

 

Along the line, I moved into the leadership side of things, worked in an office, and started wearing regular tights and again. I didn't give compression socks or stockings another thought until that Cleveland Clinic article hit my Google newsfeed mid-April'ish. With the persistent pain I have in my knees and ankles and nighttime discomfort which sometimes wakes me up from a dead sleep, giving over-the-counter compression stockings a try was a no-brainer. 

When I say the selection at Amazon was overwhelming, I'm not kidding. Along with solid and expected colors like black, beige, and navy, there are limitless other options. Stripes, plain hearts, rainbow hearts, cats, dogs, dinosaurs, the solar system, tie dye. The growing prevalence of compression socks with the general population means you can get what you want.

The first time I browsed, I grabbed a 5-star-rated three-pack in L/XL based on my shoe size and the circumference of my calf. I was a bit afraid they'd be too tight or uncomfortable because of my calf size, but they worked great from the get-go.

I pulled them on and haven't looked back. I don't wear them absolutely every day, but if I'm going to be either on my feet a lot or planning to for extra exertion, I sock-up. I can absolutely feel a difference when I take them off a the end of the day and my legs don't feel destroyed. Tired? Yes. Ready to rest? Absolutely. Destroyed? No. 

And when bedtime comes, I know I'm probably not going to awaken with cramps in my calves and/or ankles, especially if I've been mindful of my water and sodium intake. 

Click on THESE SOCKS at Amazon when you're ready to order. I ordered some different ones for cheaper, and they didn't work - one of five pair fit but the rest were too tight. 

Mother's Day and More

I've added a photo of myself to the blog. I accidentally took a selfie with the webcam on my Chromebook which didn't look half bad, so I took an on-purpose one which looked a little better. 

Tah-dah! It's not the best photo - the built-in cameras on inexpensive Chromebooks aren't the best, but it's a fairly accurate representation of my current look, so <waves> hi there!!

Yesterday we celebrated Mothers Day on the farm with homemade pizza and an A+ strawberry cake and had a wonderful time visiting with Mom and Dad. Family get-togethers are so much nicer when we can get close enough to hug and actually be inside the house together. 

Lucia was in a school production of the musical "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" over the weekend, so Mom and Dad went to the matinee and celebrated Mothers Day with Sis, Chris, and the girls in Franklin on Saturday. 

The reviews of the production are RAVE. Mom and Dad said all the kids, but especially Lucia, did a wonderful job and put in stellar performances. Apparently, some of these kids have impressive little bios touting their dramatic experiences, and I think it's wonderful that today's children - my nieces - have opportunities to explore their interests a lot more than kids of my generation. My first chance to try out for a play was my junior year in high school. Lucia and Beatrice both play soccer and are quite good at it like their Dad. 

Growing up in rural Middle Tennessee in the 70s, nobody played soccer. We'd barely heard of it. Pele. We knew about Pele and could identify a soccer ball. We knew that in South American and Europe, soccer is called football, which was crazy, and (probably still) more popular than any other sport. 

I started to say "organized sport," but what would that be saying? That there's the slight possibility of an unorganized sport being MORE popular than soccer? 

I've rambled away, but the weekend and our celebrations were lovely, and Mom shared photos from Lucia's performance, including Beatrice giving her a gorgeous bouquet of flowers for her premiere. I wish I had some of those handy to share here, but I don't. One of Lucia's costumes was, I believe, a red/orange Oompa-Loompa, and she looked SO cool. 

Saturday, while Mom and Dad were preparing to attend the theater, I did catering. HA! No, really... I delivered a lunch snack to my friend Ward and his posse of helpers at the site of the Goddard Mountain Farm fire, which I blogged about back in December. The ruins of the house are tragic and painful to see, but the family is coping nicely.

 

In Loving Memory of David McDowell

David McDowell never said an unkind word about anyone. He loved his family and friends with a whole and open heart and committed his life to working hard, experiencing the world, championing justice and equality, enthusiastically cheering for Big Orange sports, and being the kind of man he promised his mother he would be.

During a recent chat about his retirement plans and the get-together he wanted to have in celebration, I told him how grateful I am to have been a peripheral part of his risk/safety team at Averitt a few years back. We talked about how glad we are to have avoided COVID and chit-chatted some politics, because David could chit-chat some politics. That's what he's doing (and loving it at

Father Tom's Pub

) in this photo I took back in 2014.

David, tragically, died while snorkeling in Miami on May 2. He was vacationing with friends on an Ernest Hemingway pilgrimage to Key West the three of them cooked-up during pandemic while reading back through the Hemingway's collected works. His death has left his friends and loved ones, including Jack and myself, stunned and heartbroken.

Rest in peace,

David

, my friend.