May 28, 1988

Today is a not notable day. I got up a little early, as it was going to be warm, to bake cookies, (gives the house at least a CHANCE to cool, anyway...) I fed the animals. Washed dishes. Called Mom about some things I needed to get and take to her house. Watered plants and animals.

(See, this is why I don't "tweet". This is boring, even to me, and I did it!)

So what, you say? Point taken. But today is an anniversary. 21 years ago, I was in college, and had come home to get laundry, pick up some books I'd ordered, and see if I could talk my Mom into typing up a term paper I'd written. We were in my Chevy pickup (early 50's vintage), and rounded a corner on the way home.

That's when the other pickup hit Mom and I head on.

My truck, top end could do about 65, I was going about 45 around the corner. The other guy was doing about 88, in the wrong lane. The combined speed of around 120 mph mashed the front end of my pickup (about 6 foot worth of metal, engine and such) into the cab. Squashed it down to 19 inches. Which went into... well, us. My right leg was smashed up, Mom's left. For some reason, Mom was injured much more heavily than I was. But I was declared dead at the accident. The fireman decided I wasn't dead when I sneezed on him. One of the black humor memories I have, I sneezed, he jumped and then bellowed, We need a stretcher, and I need a new pair of shorts!

I didn't know what happened to Mom until much later, she had been sent up to a trauma hospital 2 hours away. I was sent to a closer one, as I had less injuries. (LESS being a relative term, 20% of the bones in my body were broken. Mom's, 80%. I also had glass shards in most of my person, the truck's window was pre-safety glass.) I had a friend that was an EMT, I knew both he and his brother, and kept calling him by his brother's name. I then went to the hospital, where I kept referring to the nurse as Indy, and the poor doctor thought I had my mentals scrambled, until said nurse explained that I had called him Indy since I had entered college, as he had worn a hat like Indiana Jones, and a back pack with a braided leather strapping, that looked like a whip when worn over his shoulder.) The doctor still told said nurse to make me say what his real name was. I did, then asked why, I told him I never used that name!

I could bore you with long details of my almost losing my leg, (I didn't, just a kneecap), surgeries, (8 or so), recovery (mostly done, but even to this day some nerve growth...), and my ups and downs. But I won't.

Just enjoy your day. I am enjoying mine. I can walk, and in a pinch run, if I have to. I have all of my teeth, (even if two of them were chipped a bit...), I have left a doctor that was an a## and wouldn't work with me. I am feeling, if not 100%, I can at least know that I can do most all of the things I want to, or at least work around the things I can't. (My balance has been affected, I missed bike riding. Now I have a tricycle. I may look like a Little old lady, but it works!)

I can still buck hay when I need to, I have helped haul wood, followed on hikes, and worked with my animals. I might have to pay for it with a 'day off' that I never would have had to do before.

But, I am still here. So. Boring days?

BRING IT ON!

(Uh, but could we have some exciting ones, too? Boring days make blogging a bit hard...)