Day Five

 It has been 5 days since my lumbar transforaminal steroid injections. On Friday I felt there was less pain in my left leg. Yesterday I walked around my neighborhood. I can stand longer and walk a bit farther than before the shots. I still cannot walk the nature trails of Winona Lake or even over to the nearby pond and back. I would need to find a place to sit. I was told that the peak effect usually happens by week 2. I am hopeful there may be even more reduction in pain. Still pain is not the only problem from pinched nerves; muscle weakness also occurs when the spinal nerves are compressed. But at least the changes from the shots should inform the doctor's decisions on how to proceed. There is "data" to work with.

Last week I listened to The Boys a memoir of Ron and Clint Howard. One of my free books as a Wall Street Journal subscriber.

The listening time was about 13 hours. As I mentioned previously after listening to an audio fiction book, I can read something in at least half the time it takes to listen. But this was a good medium (audio) for a memoir. I was familiar with Ron's voice, but didn't even realize he had a little brother, Clint, who also became a child actor. They alternated narrating their memories throughout the book. I think reading rather than listening might have made the book a bit boring. It took me 4 1/2 days to listen to the entire book. I have blue-tooth headphones I use with my Samsung tablet. My hands were free so I would listen as I did household duties and projects. 

In part, the book is a tribute to the Howard parents. Rance and Jean also were aspiring actors who ended up putting their ambitions second to the careers of their two sons. Their theatrical backgrounds gave them lots of sensible advice to help the kids as they got used to participating in TV shows and learning their lines. They also tried to provide normal childhood activities and family bonding. They charged a small fee as managers (less than the trade normal), but they banked most of the kids' money for their use when they turned 18. 

Ron I knew as Opie from watching The Andy Griffith Show. I never watched Gentle Ben so knew nothing about Clint. Lots of child actors have trouble through puberty and on because they are no longer the cute kids everybody enjoyed. The parents tried to keep their sons focused on what they really wanted to do in life, not expecting or pressuring them to remain actors. Ron wanted to direct. He eventually reached that goal as well as producing movies. His curiosity and asking questions during his acting career as a child informed his choice. Clint thought about journalism, but unfortunately in his teens got caught up in drugs and drink. He was a good writer and contributed some scripts to shows. He finally accepted that once he lost his cuteness his role in movies and TV was as a character actor. 

Both of the Howard boys eventually created satisfying lives for themselves. The values of their parents and grandparents served them well as compasses. The family focused on family bonds and helping and involving themselves in each other's lives.

Since I didn't watch Happy Days I was unaware of how Henry Winkler upstaged Ron (Richie). The Fonze started to be the dominant role. This was not Winkler's aim, but the producers' decision after seeing how the audience responded to Fonzie. Ron and Henry kept the lines of communication open, and their friendship survived this challenge. In fact, Henry Winkler became the godfather of Ron's children. 

In the 1950s and 1960s I had aunts and uncles that smoked so I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised when the book talked about all the smoking on the sets. Lots of things done in those days would not be allowed as part of movie making with children today. The old adage it is not what you know but who you know played out greatly in Hollywood decisions. The Howard family built up quite a lot of connections.