The Great Do-Over
I’m wishing today for a June Do-Over. June fourth while working in my new old house in Edenton, I slid on a threshold, rolled my foot, flipped airborne, and crashed. I thought I broke my foot; I tore ligaments. With the foot wrapped and secured in a boot for the next six weeks, and many plans in Sapphire cancelled for the month, I put a thick carpet runner over the threshold, so it couldn’t happen again to anyone. Oh, I wish I’d put that carpet runner down the first day I noticed that threshold’s potential for an accident. Instead of packing boxes and digging plants, I spent the next two weeks studying gardening books and watching old movies to avoid walking with crutches. Oh, for a do-over.
At the end of June, still wrapped and booted, but with the pain no longer reminding me to be careful, I prepared to return to Edenton. I packed the car with pass-along plants from friends and went over to church to collect my Saint Fiacre statue. I took my gardening buddy to Church 21 years ago when I first planted the church gardens. Those gardens have all been replaced now and Saint Fiacre was abandoned on a wall. I decided to take him home. He’s not very big, maybe 36” tall, but he’s made of concrete. As soon as I pulled him off the wall into my arms, I knew I’d made a mistake, but if I dropped him he would land on my foot, so I committed to carrying him to my car, maybe 40 yards. Fast forward. Three days later, arms bruised and back and ribs screaming, I found a chiropractor in Edenton for an emergency visit. Dave tried to take Saint Fiacre out of my car and gasped, “how did you lift that?” The gardening saint is still not in the garden, he’s leaning against the house next to the car, as far as Dave could carry him! Three chiropractic visits, so far.
I missed the Steamers baseball game. I’m missing the Coon Dog Days in Saluda, NC, with my author friend Miriam Bradley. I hoped to sell Walker Hound of Park Avenue books to hound dog families and planned to stay at the Bradley’s. I’m missing a visit with my mom, dinner with friends in Sapphire, and packing more stuff to bring including all my books. Instead, I can’t lift anything heavier than a pencil, heat and ice repeatedly, short walks…Oh, for a do-over. For $100 I could have bought a new garden statue. Anyone else want to do June over?