I just fell on my bum in the middle of the street. A patch of ice covered by snow. And under my left foot, too. Nothing hurts, but my pants surely need washing.

Addendum I (February 7, 2012)

A day later, I am limping a bit. A muscle that goes from the crotch to the knee on my right leg got strained by the fall. Although it hurts only when I walk, the muscle constrains me as I negotiate all sorts of obstacles created by the mounting snow. Not to worry, though. In a few days I will be in perfect shape. The snow is likely to subside by then, as well. I cannot believe it will go on for much longer. Unusual as it has become, the cold spell is just that, a spell. Winters are far from what they used to be.

Addendum II (February 10, 2012)

I am not limping any longer, but the strained muscle still hurts a bit. However, my beloved discovered a huge bruise on the back of my thigh as I was getting out of bed this morning. We were both surprised to have missed it for so many days. It appears that my muscle was not only strained, but that I actually fell with my right thigh on the heel of my left shoe. Thus the bruise. This is exactly the spot where I feel the pain, as well. Falls are often too quick to fully comprehend their circumstances and consequences. But the bruise will stay with me for a month or so to remind me of ice on the pavement.

Addendum III (February 29, 2012)

The bruise looked horrible for a while. It changed colors all this time−blue, black, green, yellow. By and by, it started shrinking, however. As I could not feel it at all, I stopped looking. And today I discovered that it has gone in the meanwhile. There is no trace of it. For some reason I expected it would stay with me much longer, which is why I feel kind of relieved. Such a rapid recovery cannot but be a sign of my good health. Nay, residual youth!