Pacing & Self-Care

 Coffee break this AM as I plot out the rest of this fine day… Rainclouds finally dissipated, as of yet I haven’t taken my “normal level” creek photos: it’s still running high, not as high as it was last week but things are pretty soggy around here!

But if we have one good day of sunshine and warm temperatures, things should dry out enough that I won’t have any problem hitching up and getting the horse trailer maneuvered down to the barn this afternoon. (When it’s muddy, things are a little more complicated since I can’t circle around on the grass. I’ll have to drive it up to the road, back up to turn back down our driveway and then get myself backed up to the barn when I loop back towards our house.) Many of my girlfriends rely on their husbands to do any complicated trailer maneuvers but I’m proud of the fact that I taught myself - necessity being the mother of invention & all that! My Tetris puzzle in the truck bed is coming together - all I lack are the lawn chairs and the fire pit. John’s bringing the firewood!

I am also being extra-conscientious of things but as we all know, accidents can and do happen - here’s a harrowing report from my friend in Kansas… she’s a little older than me, was enjoying a good ride last month and then landed in the hospital due to this freak accident: (need to get her a card in the mail)

Hillsdale spring fling was great! Until it wasn’t. Barry and I did the first fifteen miles and he fought Janeen for her head the entire time. Turns out her hack was ineffective with a new snap on bridle because the hack was on top of the halter. So he was, in essence, using just a halter….lol. Well, nothing to do about it out on Trail! Siri was good. She had a mild looky see on a couple things, went by the gun range like a rock , and I swear they were shooting cannons. We get back to camp, she’s tired…first ride back after a couple years, we are one trailer and just forty feet from our pens and very relaxed, riding on the buckle, when she saw “something”.  Folks, she exploded. Reared and spun to the left, hard and super fast. I came off on the gravel road over her right shoulder. Then, while she was still on her back feet she stepped back onto me. Than she panicked again cause she didn’t know what she was into and proceeded to do a fast tango on my legs as I covered my head. Finally it quieted down…. Seemed like ten minutes but was actually microseconds. I lay in the road, Barry screaming at me to see if I was all right. I put a thumbs up and he caught Siri and took them to the trailer. Shannon Gibb Chastain ran over and I wasn’t gonna move cause I thought I might have something broken and was stunned. I told her to go up and tell ride mgmt. 

 So after I tried to sit up three times and got dizzy and nauseous I agreed for Barry to call an ambulance. Note I’m in the road, lying on my side. So Barry went to get enough reception to call someone, I’m alone…. Lying in the road with my helmet still on…. And a pickup truck comes down the camp road, DRIVES AROUND ME, and continues on. No one else comes down. No one. Shannon was back, the ambulance gets there fairly quickly, and they take me to the hospital. Just Shannon and Barry. 

No bones broken, a concussion, crush injury to right calf muscle and a perfect bruise and hematoma of a hoof print on my upper inner right thigh where she stepped on me and then slid, removing all the skin, and a stepped on right foot. 

I’m lucky. Barry forgot my helmet and insisted I wear his that morning. I finally gave in and wore it. So now we get a new helmet instead of a casket for me. I have a concussion and a road rashed helmet, instead of worse, thanks to my best friend!! 

Today everything hurts but I’m okay. Thank you to all that asked about me.