What Did You Do Today?

[Eric Krewson]

I have been down in my back big time but decided I had to do some things around my place before I have any procedures done to fix my back.

I got my little food plot planted; my tractor did most of the work. I have to keep an electric fence up around it until the wheat and oats have time to grow. I keep an electric fence around my muscadines to keep the deer from eating them all and it was time to take this fence down and pull the T posts.

I started by taking down the fence down around the muscadines, lots of stooping and getting back up to undo the wire from the insulators. I recycle my fence wire so I took the wire from the muscadine fence and used the wire to fence part of my food plot, more squatting down and getting back up. I finished stringing the wire around my plot with a spool of recycled wire I keep.

I power the fence with 3 linked extension cords plugged into an outlet under my deck; the plot is about 50 yards from my house.

When I powered up the fence around my plot I went back up to the muscadines and pulled all of the T posts to get them out of the way for mowing. I have a fence post puller that makes the job much easier but I still managed to strain my back in the process.



Because of the electric fence around the muscadines I hadn't mowed around them or my blueberries in months. This is a place I have to mow with a push mower to mow around each blueberry bush or muscadine vine.

I was all hyped up and full of Tylenol, I felt really good so I mowed, and mowed and mowed with my push mower, I finally got everything done.

Lastly, I needed to take tiller off my tractor, I am done tilling until next spring, this is usually a 1-minute job, this time it wouldn't come off, everything stuck. I realized I had readjusted the lift arms to move a bunch of large tractor equipment for a neighbor and hadn't set things back to perfectly fit my compact tiller and bush hog. The tiller went on easily but sure wasn't coming off easily. After a half hour of beating on various parts with a small sledge hammer I got the tiller to drop off, I was done for the day.

I felt good last night but it is another story this morning, the back is telling me to lay low and watch You Tube videos all day and don't even think about getting back on the tractor for a while.

I had a lot of huge limbs fall from a number of the trees around my house in the storms that hit this spring and summer. I felt so so good yesterday evening that I had planned to drag them with my tractor and make burn pile out of them today, this morning I realized that this isn't in the cards in the near future.

 

[Pat B]

Just got back from the hospital for evaluation and redressing. Here is what it looks like...


The good news is they gave a new hat...

[Eric Krewson]

It is a wonder you survived that one Pat, someone was looking out for you.

[JW_Halverson]

And not a damned hair in the way to cushion the blow. But on the plus side, they didn't need to shave your lovely locks of hair to get to the wound.

We gonna call you Franken for short, now!

(I'm joking around because, frankly (pun intended) what happened to you scared the heck out of me, Pat. I am so glad you appear to be ok after this incredible ordeal. And in case you didn't know, I love you and hold you in high regard as a man to be emulated. The world is a better place because of you.)

[Pat B]

I am incredibly lucky. What if I had been knocked unconscious, what if Marcia wasn't home, what if Marcia was so freaked she couldn't cope. Well, none of that happened. I was incredibly lucky. As a matter of fact Marcia was there and strong and sat in the ER with me the whole time while the 2 PAs stitched me back up. She got to see the open wound. She's done it before just not quite this bad. I am incredibly lucky.
Today I ordered a chainsaw helmet with ear muffs and a face shield(better late than never) and a set of walkie-talkies(again, better late than never).
 John, at least it didn't mess up this beautiful face. Small blessings. 
 The folks at the hospital were incredible too. Our county(Transylvania) has 39,000 people, our town(Brevard) has 9000. It is amazing we have such competent health care people in our small community. 

 Now, let's put our positive thoughts and prayers out there for Miss Joanie. She's in a lot worse shape than I am and needs all the positivity and good will she can get. And don't forget Pappy. Just think what he's going through. They have been together since they were 14 years old.

[Pappy]

Man Pat you are a tough old bird,yes you are very blessed, as they say , just wasn’t your time , The Good Lord still has plans for you. I know some don’t believe that but I truly do. It is tough when we see our friends and love ones suffering, glad you came through with hopefully just another scar to show off. What about the dizziness??? Pappy

[Pat B]

Still a little dizziness when I first get up or turn my head one way while laying down but getting better each day. I had a good sleep last night so that's an improvement.
 All of my thoughts are with you and Miss Joanie now. Be strong my dear friend and give Miss Joanie a kiss for me when she wakes up. All of my thoughts are with you both.

[JW_Halverson]

John, at least it didn't mess up this beautiful face. Small blessings. 

Indeed, a blessing. Even moreso that it didn't harm a lovely hair on your chinny-chin-chin!

[Pat B]

I walked back to the scene of the crime this morning. My first venture out beyond the yard. I was incredibly lucky!

this had to be the culprit. It was laying on top of what I was cutting. My ear muffs were laying not far away. must have been knocked off my head. The cut oak log to the left is about 12" in diameter. The piece that hit me is about 8" at its butt.


 the old rotted pine top that hit me is 10' to 12' long. The trunk, still standing was 20 feet away so I hadn't even considered it and have no idea why it fell except it was its time. Boy, was I lucky!

[Eric Krewson]

I have had so many close calls like that, I have a huge cherry tree in the front yard that sheds limbs in the violent storms that pass through, the limbs break but stay connected to the trunk by a thread of sapwood and bark. They may hang that way for years until they finally break off and hit the ground. The tree is so big that I can't reach the broken limbs to cut them loose with anything I have.

I was weedeating under the tree last year, a limb had broken off a day or so earlier but was still attached. All of the sudden the limb turned loose, the limb swung a little as it came down and I was only hit by the very end of the leafy top and not hurt. If the limb had fallen stright down I would have had 15 ft spear 8" in diameter hit me in the head or neck.     

[JW_Halverson]

Counting on luck isn't a valid strategy. Nice to know you have the helmet and other safety gear now.

I imagine seeing that deadfall laying there has to kinda tighten yer guts up a bit.

[Pat B]

 When out in the woods hunting or cutting wood or around your yard, be aware of what's around you. Not just what's in front but both sides, behind and what's above you also.
 Our woods are full of these widow makers not only from the hemlock woolly adelgid killing all of our Canadian hemlocks but from hurricane Helene. We are usually pretty observant of these things I guess I didn't expect a standing dead pine to break in half and fall. My accident happened 2 or 3 days after cutting down the red oak. the smaller trees I cut weren't even near this dead pine. All I can say is it was a freak accident and also for everyone to be aware of what's around you. I've been doing this stuff for almost 50 years and never had anything like this happen to me. I consider myself careful while cutting firewood.
 My safety helmet and walkie-talkies came in this morning. It will be a while before I go back to cutting firewood but I now have what I should have had all along.

[Pat B]

Got the stitches out today. Everything is healing well. The open spot will just have to fill in. Turns out I'm now a legend at Transylvania Co. Hospital for having the most stitches in one head.     I walked into the ER and staff folks were saying..."hey, I know you" or I've heard of you". A legend in my own time. 
 The same PA and his Assistant, a trainee PA graduating in December, one on each side of my head removed the stitches they had put in 9 days ago. Everyone in our local hospital ER was excellent, couldn't have been better.  I still have some recovery to do. I still have short dizzy spells and my neck and up into the left side of my head is still sore, like a sprained muscle but each day they get a little better.
Boy, was I lucky!

[chamookman]

Dang Pat ! Just saw.. this  ! Glad You are on the mend Brother.  Bob.

[bjrogg]

Well around here the funny guys would say “good thing it hit you in the head or you might have been seriously hurt “.

Not really all that funny but maybe just a little truth to it. You must have a thick noggin. Glad it wasn’t your time yet Pat


Bjrogg