Skip to main content

Squirrel! Part 2: Well, Swell

Ever fallen from a ladder? It's a surreal experience. After spending time making certain the ladder was on solid ground outside my house, I carefully ascended it while confirming balance and stability. When I reached two steps from the yellow top of the six-footer, I stabilized myself further and began shooting hornet spray into an opening just beneath our townhome's roof. Sufficiently saturating the opening and hopefully interior of the breech where the evil squirrel had taken up residence, I began to make my decent.

Then, it happened. The ladder was on the corner of my neighbor's stoop. It must've shifted just enough to tilt to the side. Maybe it slipped off the stoop. I didn't process those details. In a split second, I knew there was no stabilizing the ladder nor could I hold onto the awning over my neighbor's door. Whether the words came out of my mouth, I at least thought, "Lord, help!"

In slow motion, I fell. So many people say similar incidents happen in slow motion. They really do! I recall thinking, "When am I going to hit the ground?" It actually seemed to take longer than expected. Meanwhile, I was basically riding the ladder down at least half way before falling to the ground.

Impact. The crash took out 3 snowmen lights guarding our little flower box area beneath the front window. A portion of the cement edgers for the flower box was knocked flat. I sprang to my feet with the weird mental rush that I hoped no one saw the incident and that I needed to get up quickly to convey that I was alright. How silly to think that before even assessing my damage. Pride kicked in immediately.

Nothing felt broken or mangled. Then, my eyes locked on my right hand. The top portion between the knuckles and wrist was swollen a purplish-red-blue and clearly raised. I wiggled all my fingers without much pain but I wasn't sure if my hand was broken or at least fractured. I collected the ladder to take inside and noticed the folding arm on the right was warped. Repairable, but confirmation of the direction the ladder fell.

Keeping an ice pack on top of right hand reduced the discoloration and some of the swelling. This wasn't one of those moments to wait and see or tough it out. This needed to be X-rayed. Going to Patient's First in Columbia probably wasn't the best option as it took me three hours from the time I checked in until I left with a splint. However, going to the Emergency Room at Howard General seemed extreme and could've taken just as long.

The X-rays showed no breaks or fractures and the doctor praised my putting ice on the injury so quickly. He determined the injury was a hematoma but recommended an aluminum splint for some added comfort and some Ibuprofen.

My record for no broken bones remains...unbroken. I'm very blessed to not have injured myself more severely. However, the bruising and soreness is setting in as I have a a bruise on my right collar bone and a sore right bum. Seems like the right of me took the most beating!

Today, the breech in the roof was sealed. Victory is mine. Time for some egg nog.


Also, check out:


Comments

  1. Yikes! Glad to hear nothing is broken. That damn squirrel has been nothing but trouble!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

See You Around, Mike

Three weeks ago, I attended the memorial service of a dear Brother in Christ. Sunday, June 10, would've been his 56th birthday. I miss my friend. But what's sad is that I didn't miss Mike until he was gone. At least in the middle of the odd month, but definitely by the last week of it, Mike would always reach out to me with a request. It was usually to load a certain worship music video or some game show music. Sometimes, he needed some specific slides created or sound effects. Mike put a lot of thought into preparing the lessons. For certain lessons, Mike asked the kids to write something that was bothering them or something that was a sin. Then he had them take hammer and nail to that card and attach it to an old rugged cross. Mike often brought in props to physically connect the Bible stories to the kids. For example, when he dressed as an innkeeper and walked in a wheelbarrow full of fresh cow manure. He was adding the smell of a barn to the lesson just to help

Reverse Discrimination of Christmas

With Christmas slowly fading from your memory, did you find yourself this year taking a stand for Christmas? I'm not talking about stealing the stand beneath the Christmas tree. Perhaps you missed it but 2009 was the year of sticking it to retailers who refused to display or say "Merry Christmas!" Boycotting secular businesses because they aren't promoting Christmas: righteous or ridiculous? I'll vote for both.

Embracing Sin With Hearts Wide Shut

Lately, there's been a lot of buzz about homosexuality, gay marriage, and equal rights. Having a conversation about this topic continues to be difficult especially within faith-based circles. Why? Because we're unwilling or unable to identify sin. Or worse, that which we know as sin we're embracing with hearts wide shut. "I didn't say anything different from what any Bible-believing Christian would say if you want to be true to the Scriptures." Kirk Cameron recently made this statement in reaction to the backlash he received during an interview with Pierce Morgan. The interview was supposed to be focused on Cameron's latest film, Monumental, but instead Morgan pressed him on topics such as homosexuality and gay marriage. Cameron explained that he opposes gay marriage in part because he considers homosexual behavior "unnatural" and believes that it's "detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization