Happy birthday to me!
I had the best intentions yesterday. I got up early and went to help clean the village flower beds and arrange bails of hay and pumpkins into tasteful displays on the main street. Then, I went home and decided to clean one of my own flower beds which I call "la plate-bande des oiseaux" because it has fruit shrubs and bird feeders. My friend, Nicole, had given me 150 bulbs (mostly tulips, which I have loved since living in the Netherlands). I cleared out the bed, added earth and planted my bulbs.
As I worked outside, I had thoughts such as "gardeners are an optimistic lot when they plant bulbs in the fall" and " Wow, what if something happened to me and I wasn't there this coming spring".
I turned 43 at 10 to noon. I was digging a whole and soaking up enough sunshine to last me through winter.
I finished working outside around 1pm and decided to dust and clean the bathroom just in case J. had decided to invite people over for dinner. My first clue was the boeuf bourguignon he prepared yesterday.
I had just showered when my buddy Hélène called for a walk. We were accompanied by her 16 year old daughter, Catherine, her friend, Annabelle, and Princess, the little nervous dog. We walked up to the log hotel and Cath stalled chatting with the lifeguards. I went back outside with Hélène and Princess because we were getting too warm. We walked a ways when I decided to play a joke on Catherine. I called one of the lifeguards from my cell and told her that we had left the dog tied to a flag pole. Catherine came running out in a panic.
I have hiked on 3 continents, I have whitewater kayaked, I have skied in the Alps, the Rockies, the Adirondacks and the Laurentians, I have cycled in major cities, I have thrown myself on stage floors doing improv, AND I do guard duty every other day in the school yard.
Well, nothing had prepared me for what happened next.
I believe that I was severely punished à la My name is Earl for my little pratical joke.
As we walked back, my ankle twisted on the village's uneven sidewalks. I had just bought the Ottawa Citizen which was tucked under my arm and my hands were plunged into the pockets of my leather jacket for warmth...no protection left at all.
I fell face first right into Main street. She asked if I was ok. My face felt moist and I wasn't crying. "No", I answered. And she saw the blood in my mouth, under my nose and dripping from my chin. My glasses were bent crooked. "Get up and walk", she says. I'm still stunned but my buddy was protecting my reputation. The last person who had fallen on main street was a drunk junkie. We couldn't have a grade school teacher lying on the 148.
Hélène called J, to come pick us up. I knew looking into the mirror that I needed to see a doctor. We drove 20 miles to the nearest hospital and waited 3 hours for the doctor to tell me "I usually see this kind of injury in small children!" I could feel the thread laying loose on my face which was mostly frozen as the doctor stitched the fat back into my chin. Maybe I'll wind up with a cleft.
The triage nurse had told me that I was the second woman to come in with an injury from going for a nice leisurely stroll.
It had been a fine fall day.
When we got home from the hospital, my friends, bless their hearts, had waited for us all evening. This was a wonderful and welcome surprise in this eventful day.
Thank you all for making my birthday memorable and bearable!
love you all
j.
As I worked outside, I had thoughts such as "gardeners are an optimistic lot when they plant bulbs in the fall" and " Wow, what if something happened to me and I wasn't there this coming spring".
I turned 43 at 10 to noon. I was digging a whole and soaking up enough sunshine to last me through winter.
I finished working outside around 1pm and decided to dust and clean the bathroom just in case J. had decided to invite people over for dinner. My first clue was the boeuf bourguignon he prepared yesterday.
I had just showered when my buddy Hélène called for a walk. We were accompanied by her 16 year old daughter, Catherine, her friend, Annabelle, and Princess, the little nervous dog. We walked up to the log hotel and Cath stalled chatting with the lifeguards. I went back outside with Hélène and Princess because we were getting too warm. We walked a ways when I decided to play a joke on Catherine. I called one of the lifeguards from my cell and told her that we had left the dog tied to a flag pole. Catherine came running out in a panic.
I have hiked on 3 continents, I have whitewater kayaked, I have skied in the Alps, the Rockies, the Adirondacks and the Laurentians, I have cycled in major cities, I have thrown myself on stage floors doing improv, AND I do guard duty every other day in the school yard.
Well, nothing had prepared me for what happened next.
I believe that I was severely punished à la My name is Earl for my little pratical joke.
As we walked back, my ankle twisted on the village's uneven sidewalks. I had just bought the Ottawa Citizen which was tucked under my arm and my hands were plunged into the pockets of my leather jacket for warmth...no protection left at all.
I fell face first right into Main street. She asked if I was ok. My face felt moist and I wasn't crying. "No", I answered. And she saw the blood in my mouth, under my nose and dripping from my chin. My glasses were bent crooked. "Get up and walk", she says. I'm still stunned but my buddy was protecting my reputation. The last person who had fallen on main street was a drunk junkie. We couldn't have a grade school teacher lying on the 148.
Hélène called J, to come pick us up. I knew looking into the mirror that I needed to see a doctor. We drove 20 miles to the nearest hospital and waited 3 hours for the doctor to tell me "I usually see this kind of injury in small children!" I could feel the thread laying loose on my face which was mostly frozen as the doctor stitched the fat back into my chin. Maybe I'll wind up with a cleft.
The triage nurse had told me that I was the second woman to come in with an injury from going for a nice leisurely stroll.
It had been a fine fall day.
When we got home from the hospital, my friends, bless their hearts, had waited for us all evening. This was a wonderful and welcome surprise in this eventful day.
Thank you all for making my birthday memorable and bearable!
love you all
j.
posted by Queenbeabea | 8:12 AM
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