When neighbor Logan came in the house with John, I was shocked to see something bright red on his arm. Two days ago he broke his wrist while roller skating at a rink with a friend. It didn’t interfere with playing checkers. He said his cast is anti-itch, and he will keep it on for a month.

It was Logan’s idea to play balloon, and his cast did not slow him down one bit. For the most part, he played one-handed and two-footed. Once in a while, when a balloon came straight at him, he used the cast. We cringed when he kicked the balloon and hit the piano bench with his toe. It was the first time I’d seen a male toe-dancing. With no fanfare, Logan went right on playing with us.

Pause while I tried to break my own bones. I pulled cinnamon-pecan rolls from the refrigerator, set them out to warm, tripped over my own foot and couldn’t catch myself on the counter. As the scenery tilted, I said to myself, “I’m going to fall.” Wham! Nothing felt broken. I sat up, scooted over to the table, and did what I’ve been practicing – getting up from the floor, almost gracefully, with the help of a chair.  It was easier 74 years ago.

There was one classic Logan shot – moving parts a blur. He was on the floor as much as on his feet, returning that balloon with a hand, a foot, or a head. We had gotten a pretty good workout before Bob came over to get him.