Leaping' Lizards

I think I have become "Leaping Lena". Years ago, decades actually, when we first moved to Stillwater, I worked night shift at the community hospital. We got to know some of the local characters. One was nicknamed Buster and you would see him walking around town carrying a big stick. Occasionally, he would stop and pound on someone's car with the stick. I never heard of him hitting anyone, but I think people kept their distance. Rumor was he was a former boxer with a bit of brain damage. Another local "character" was Leapin Lena. You would see her bounding around town. She covered ground fast and walked everywhere wearing her funny hat and sunglasses and loping along. We had her as a patient once and I got the chance to visit with this "eccentric" woman. She would wear her sunglasses and either her hat in bed or cover her head with a bath blanket saying she hated the draft from the AC. At the time I thought this odd behaviour but you should see me now when Jon has the bedroom window open at night and the cold air pours in. I sat to visit with her one night and learned she had been a wardrobe mistress in New York for Broadway shows. She was an interesting person and I enjoyed talking to her. Now that I am "loping" all over town at a pretty good clip wearing my hat to keep warm and my transitional glasses turning dark when it is sunny, I realize I have become the new Leapin Lena. I prefer that to being the new Buster.
Everyone has a story. It is good to talk to the seniors and find out what their story is.