Just yesterday, I was marveling at how well I'd prepared for Winter Storm Fern. Didn't do a thorough job of the self-congratulation stuff, though; forgot to mention that the power was out at my house only once, briefly, for maybe an hour or so. Incomplete as my bragging might have been, I shoulda considered that I might be jinxing myself. I know better. I really do.
Jinx
Today being Thursday, Trash Day in my neighborhood, and given my disgust for stinky trash, I went outside for the first time since the snow and ice started piling up. I gingerly picked my way down the salted path and steps, and walked beside, rather than on, the obviously frozen driveway. I set the trash at the end of the driveway and turned around, retracing my steps back to the house.
And then something happened. Not sure what, exactly. One second I was walking. The very next second I was seated on the ground. I sat there for a minute or so, kind of mentally assessing what damage may have been done. My right ankle was almost certainly sprained. (From playing sports, I have a not-inconsiderable amount of experience with foot/ankle sprains.) My right wrist hurt too; about the same degree of pain as the ankle, so that's probably sprained as well.
The wrist wasn't strong enough to raise me to standing position on the slippery ground, so I eased myself on to my knees and army-crawled back to the carport. Even on the dry gravel under the carport, though, I couldn't raise myself to standing position, so I crawled a bit further to pull myself up using the tire of my SUV. Great. Now three things are hurting: ankle, wrist, and now chest.
I won't be headed outside for a while, that's for sure! I can get by with my left hand; I can walk by planting my left foot and dragging my right; if I need to cough or sneeze, I can press on my sternum to ease the pain.
Little Miss Storm Prep needs crampons next time.
Oh, and the trash? Yeah, the story ends with a tragi-comic twist: They didn't pick up the trash. When the ground is covered in a blanket of snow and ice, and your trash bags are white ... I guess it's no surprise.
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