Thoughts during the apocalypse, Part 28.

Former Patriot Rob Gronkowski has made my knee feel better in a roundabout way.

This post should be subtitled, "How Gronk is helping me get through the pandemic." How's that, you ask? Read on.

Those of you that have followed these apocalyptic posts are aware that I've been struggling a little bit lately with a very sore left knee. I'm no orthopedic specialist, so I can't tell you what's wrong with it other than to suggest that I may be having an issue with my patellar tendon (the kneecap), and not a ligament as I first believed, because that is where the pain seems to be centered.

In any event, I believe the issue first arose several weeks ago, upon my first mowing of my lawn, when I stepped awkwardly off a frost heave that had not yet flattened out and felt a twinge in a knee that has bothered me to varying extents since high school.

It comes and goes. But last week, after a full mowing of my lawn (which entails about three miles of start-and-stop walking according to the step monitor in the iPhone), the soreness became almost unbearable. It was almost to the point where I might go to see an orthopedist to determine what the heck was going on, but who really wants to go anywhere near a medical facility right now if you don't have the COVID-19 virus?

Yeah, that's probably an overreaction. But if limping around helps prevent a coronavirus infection, I'll limp. I made it around three different supermarkets yesterday (total distance: 1.4 miles) thanks to a very useful neoprene knee brace and the carts I pushed.

The knee brace is very helpful. Also helpful is cooling the inflamed joint when I get home with the help of cold compresses. But as anyone that does not own a commercial-grade ice maker knows, it's a pain in the ass to produce enough ice to do the job.

Enter Rob Gronkowski -- in a roundabout sort of way.

Some years back, at the end of a press conference in the media workroom, just about every serious question had been asked (if any question to Gronk can be called "serious"). So I seized the moment to ask something that had been gnawing at me since he first became a Patriot.

"So, Rob," I asked, "Duff's or the Anchor Bar?"

OK, it wasn't hard-hitting journalism. It was fluff. But from the way Gronk's eyes lit up, I could tell that fluff worked in this case. You see, he is a native of Amherst, N.Y., a Buffalo suburb, and the two aforementioned dining establishments are regarded as Mecca for those that love spicy Buffalo wings. More people know of the Anchor Bar, which has become a tourist trap because it claims to be the birthplace of the highly-spicy sauce that turns chicken wings into incendiary devices, but Duff's (which looks more like a neighborhood bar on a busy street corner) is often regarded as having the better wings.

I was a little surprised by Gronk's response.

"Oh, the Anchor Bar … I haven't been to Duff's, but I'm gonna go," he said. He then mentioned another establishment in the Amherst area that I had not visited, but he added a very important caveat.

Gronk's favorite wing dip.

"Wherever you go," he said, "you've gotta get Rootie's. Man, wings just aren't wings without Rootie's."

I asked the follow-up question -- what the heck is Rootie's? -- and he explained that it's a bleu cheese dressing native to the Buffalo area, with a richer and thicker consistency and more bleu cheese chunks per wing-dip than any other he had ever had.

So, dutifully, I had to follow up on this revelation. I searched the Internet and ordered some Rootie's Blue Cheese Dressing and Dip for way too much money than it was worth, and I admit, it was delicious. It worked especially well with super-hot Buffalo sauces at putting out the fire but not masking the flavor. And I really did appreciate the larger chunks of cheese. But I've also found that Ken's Steak House brand is a better accompaniment for wings than those little cups of generic bleu cheese dressing that they hand out at the local Buffalo Wild Wings.

These gel packs are a gem.

As I said, the price was ridiculous to have Rootie's shipped to Mansfield -- mostly because of the shipping costs. Because the dressing is perishable, it has to be packed and shipped in a refrigerated carton. And the refrigeration is provided by several frozen gel packs. Normally, people just unpack the boxes and throw out the packing materials. But when I saw these gel packs, I figured I'd have some sort of use for them eventually, so I threw them in the back of the freezer.

And I was right. They are almost perfect as injury-related cold packs. I do wrap them up in plastic bags to prevent any leaching of chemicals onto my skin, and then I put one over the affected area and hold it in place with an Ace bandage. A gel pack quickly softens to match the contour of the joint, and that helps maintain mobility while I'm cooling my heels … er, knees.

Once things seem to calm down, COVID-19 wise, I may have my knee looked at if it's still bothering me. That does not portend well for my lawn, because I made the decision two years ago to mow myself as a means of saving money and getting exercise. I have at least 22-24 mowings left this year, and a surgical procedure in the midst of that time would not be welcome.

I know. First-world problems …

One more quick thought for this post ...

The world is coming back to life. Get outside and enjoy, safely.

I don't know where you are today, but here on the shores of Fulton Pond, it's a beautiful day. It's sunny and in the 70s, and I'm going to go outside and sit in the sun for a while. Maybe even make a couple of burgers on the grill. As it is, I've been watching the animals hop around in the backyard, searching for the tiny morsels of bread that I've left for them. They are not wearing masks.

My advice? You should go outside too, but observe social distancing. Enjoy the warmth. Take your smartphone with you and listen to my latest podcast, The Owner's Box, Episode 23, featuring Foxboro High girls' basketball coach Lisa Downs. And just look around at the blooming trees and the growing grass and marvel at the rebirth of our world that takes place every year at this time. It's a hopeful sight. It really is.

See you soon. Stay safe.