Donna has become totally enamored with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ask her what she likes about it and she’ll give you a long list.

On Monday morning she went to the recreational center to play pickleball and found the $6 entry fee wasn’t exorbitant at all – they have a 50-meter swimming pool and an ice skating rink! I didn’t go with her because once again, I have a recurrence of the dermatitis on my feet. I’ve been trying to keep up with the last doctor’s instructions and washing my feet twice a day with antibacterial soap.

Around 3pm, we walked south from the park about a mile and a half to the Blue Corn Brewery. This is a local brewery and restaurant. It’s a small but very interesting brewery. James Warren is the brewer – he has a fine arts degree from Baylor University and while working toward a career in art education in Connecticut, he found his passion in brewing.

Donna wanted a stout as usual but they were out of stout. She had a brown ale that was very close in flavor to the stout she wanted. I had their Roadrunner IPA – excellent ale brewed on site.

We made the trek back to our site – my feet weren’t happy. I kicked back and watched most of the Monday night NFL double-header before going to bed.

Ozark the cat seems to be content while we’re away. When we return, we usually find her either sleeping on our bed or on the dashboard watching the world outside the windshield. She’s a fastidious creature grooming herself several times a day.

Ozark grooming

Keeping clean

Nap time

On Tuesday morning, Donna told me that I was kicking and scratching my feet in the night. My feet always seem to be better in the morning and I’m optimistic – but by the end of the day I’m miserable. Donna reminded me of this. I went online and found a couple of clinics that were in-network for our health insurance. Then I looked at maps and bus routes.

I finally gave in and took a bus toward downtown to Roadrunner Clinic near the train station. The bus dropped me off only a couple of blocks from the clinic. When I boarded the bus, I paid $2 for an unlimited, all-day pass in anticipation of making a stop for prescriptions on the way home.

While I was heading to the clinic, Donna went out for a bicycle ride. She rode about 16 miles.

Beautiful paved bike path in Santa Fe

The doctor I saw at Roadrunner was very attentive and had a holistic approach. After reviewing my previous treatments, he said, “Well they certainly shotgunned everything.” He wasn’t surprised to find this resulted in a quick but not long lasting cure. He advised a less aggressive treatment after telling me the systemic (oral) steroids I’d been taking are too hard on my body in his opinion.

He has dealt with dermatitis conditions many times before. He showed me a medical text describing and detailing different skin conditions. He was certain of his diagnosis of eczema dermatitis – not an infection, no need for antibiotics and not contagious. He spent quite a lot of time telling me how he thought we should approach a long-term cure.

He hedged his bet though. He prescribed a topical steroidal cream for the tops of my feet and a couple of antihistamines that aren’t usually used for for this condition – he knew about this approach from a previous stint working for a dermatologist. It turns out one of the drugs will alleviate my pollen allergy at the same time. But he also prescribed oral Prednisone – only to be used if the initial treatment is ineffective. The other difference from my previous treatments is he wants me to use an emollient on my feet at night. I’ll massage Bag Balm on the tops of my feet and go to bed with socks on. I’m hoping the third try is a charm.

After I stopped at the bus stop by the CVS pharmacy and picked up my prescriptions, I phoned Donna and said I would walk from there and pick up lunch on the way. She suggested meeting at the taqueria across the street from the RV park for lunch. It turned out I’d underestimated the distance and walked nearly two miles to the taqueria.

This place was authentic Mexican fare. Although I’m well-versed in Mexican food, we had to ask for explanation on some of the menu items which included things like beef tongue and tripe. We ended with the the usual pork, beef and chicken street tacos. The salsas from the salsa bar were so good, they’re beyond description.

Later, Donna took my bus pass and went out for a couple of errands and shopping at the farmers’ market at the mall south of us. She opted to walk back with the goodies she picked up along the way in her backpack.

Street musicians at the farmers’ market

Today I’m going to push the envelope and go to the community center with Donna for pickleball. I haven’t played in months and I think my feet will withstand a few games.