Slings & Arrows: Back in the saddle and ready to ride

The staff at The Community News stepped up remarkably, not the least of which was Loydale Schmid, who took the reins and guided the paper through an extremely challenging situation while also looking after my interests personally.

Alex Hoben and Joanna Hardy had not been around that long, and were basically taught to swim by being thrown into the deep end of the pool.

Rick Mauch jumped in to do editing in addition to his writing duties. Christopher Amos, Candy McMichen, John English, and Madison Cook kept the stories and photos coming.

So thank you to all of my peeps here at the paper who kept the wheels turning.

Thanks to Mary Taggart and Mary Mason for keeping my dogs fed and entertained. Mary Mason also provided home care, cleaning, and cooking breakfast.

Dr. Robert Schmidt, also known as Mayor Schmidt, performed two joint replacements in the space of about six months.

Over the course of two surgeries I also thank Overture Home Care and Home Sweet Home for their help and services.

After this latest surgery, I was sent to Clear Sky Rehab Hospital in Weatherford, and I cannot say enough good things about the facility and staff. I didn’t meet a single cross person there. They were all friendly, competent, professional, and patient — especially for a semi-elderly man who was not accustomed to dressing, showering, and taking care of body functions in front of young ladies who were there to make sure I didn’t fall or injure myself.

I truly believe I left Clear Sky light years ahead of where I would have been had I been sent straight home after the surgery.

Thanks to those who came to visit while I was there, by the way!

Finally, I’m still in process at the physical therapy department at Texas Health in Willow Park. They have a great staff there as well.

All of that said, I am itching to get back to work. As I got my feet wet last week, I kept thinking something was missing. I realized it was the pain I had been living with for probably a couple of years now.

There is a lot to be said for successful joint replacements, even if I do now sometimes think of myself as a walking collection of spare parts!

We appreciate your patience for any hiccups we may have hit along the way. We hope to be as hiccup-free as possible going forward!

I look forward to seeing all the people I have missed around the community, and meeting the challenges a rapidly-growing community brings.

If anyone should ask, I’m back in the saddle and ready to ride!

Randy Keck is the owner and publisher of The Community News.