Spring is here and that means doing yard work. For the last several summers I have mowed the lawns of several friends. One friend has several large trees that lose limbs over the winter due to the snow. The first yard work of the year means picking up dozens of tree branched in various sizes, some of which are pretty big. This year I started getting the lawn ready to be mowed on Earth Day.
Normally everything goes smooth but this year I decided to pull a branch down that was hanging low enough to grab it. It looked like it was dead and ready to snap off. Well it was dead and ready to snap because as soon as my finger touched the limb it came down. And very much to my surprise! I had no time to react and it hit me on the right side of my head, toward the top. I went to my knees and stood back up. Like any man my first thought was “I hope no one seen that.”
It rattled me good, my teeth were hurting and I was dazed. I went back to picking up twigs and branches. It wasn’t long until I felt something on the right side of my face. I had worn a winter hat that morning due to it being chilly early in the morning. It turns out the hit was pretty solid and I had blood running done my face. I couldn’t see where wound was, it was just far enough back on the top of my head to be out of sight.
Since I had no idea it was a severe cut or just a scratch I headed to a friends to ask them to look at it. They suggested I see a doctor so off I went to the clinic. It turned out to be a pretty good-sized cut and required 10 staples. It’s the first time I’ve had staples and I thought the would be some fancy new material – biodegradable type of staple. Nope said the doctor, they are just like office staples! I had them in for a week. The resulting headaches and tiredness got to me though. I’m guessing a concussion and I did not like how it felt!
It left me not doing much for nearly a week. I’m slowly getting back to normal. By the time I move out to the Black Hills in three weeks I’ll be ready to begin a new, active adventure. Life is going to get even better!