I won’t go to the emergency room, I won't I won't (even though my wife/ER nurse says that should be considered). But its just my bloody stupid thumb, and if I keep it wrapped in ice and hold it on top of my head, it auuu, doesn’t throb too to bad.
Worst would be to have to explain 1) to the admitting nurse who would give that look, … and then 2) to the prep-nurse who would say “you really did what?” and 3) to the doctor who would say “you know that you could have died, and finally 4) hearing the release sign-out nurses where they’d be whispering to each other “bet we see this guy again soon”…..
Instead I’ll just confess my stupidity to my personal diary and blog that no one ever reads any way, …… and live and learn, (I did live)
So I was on my way to work yesterday and taking the new London bridge road. Before the new development that is going in now we used to walk an old old road, more of a trail, but it was called London Bridge road on the old topo maps. Now there is a real road close to where the dirt road used to be, and it’s been paved and new houses are going in on either side. I miss the way you could walk the side trails off of it into the woods a mile or two and feel all alone and like a pioneer, an explorer. Exploring the thick thick stands of trees, listing to the birds, listening to the wind in the tree tops, finding animal tracks and the old beaver ponds that are hidden away from development hopefully forever in wetlands deeper in the forest.
My mind was doing just those wanderings while I slowed down on the new road looking not at the road but the woods to both sides and wondering where the old trails that used to be there crossing the old dirt road. Wondering if it or the side trails could still be seen anywhere. No cars or houses here on the turn in the road so stopping I looked up at the trees and could see a pattern, … a space going back from the road where there must have been the old trail. Pulling up and over the grassy cleared along the side I thought that the car, could just fit behind that bush to be parked out of the way. “I’m early for work” I thought, “there will still be traffic when I get to the highway”, so if I nudge it into the bushes I could take a walk on the old trail. As soon as I pushed past the bush, my excitement ran high, the old road was still there.
So why not?
Driving slowly down the 100year old dirt road is fun, just have to take it slow, move up into the shrubs to avoid the monster rocks in the middle, and ride the hump to not go down into the ruts. But it was working, a few hundred feet and I was feeling confident, a few hundred yards and now I had bragging rights at my skill, and so on and on, and after a mile wow it was great, it was beautiful!!!
Ooops, also now starting to think about the problem of getting back to a real road. There was no place to turn around yet, but, there will be, maybe. … guess backing up for a mile would be interesting test of my driving skills.
Then the trail forked, umm, what now…
Well taking the right hand trail would, pause, probably bring me down towards the beaver pond I think that I remember, so I figured that sounded like fun and probably where I could find a level spot to turn around or else just backup to here and do a K turn at the trail change, so why not keep going (au that fun inner voice of childhood)..
After only a hundred feet through the trees I could just make out the beaver pond, and just ahead as it went back up the rise there appeared to be a level wider place. Well this was turning out to be a wonderful little adventure, thought I’d just get out and checkup on the old beavers.
Turning off the car to go see the pond and looking up stepping out of the car I found that there was low big branch that had to be pushed out of the way to get the door open. So squeezing out, doing a pretzel move by pushing the branch away with my left foot and the door with another hand and pushing out of my seat with another and holding onto the door my last hand I got both feet clear of the door.
CRACK!!!! But just then the branch broke and I lost my balance and started to fall back into the car so had to put out my hand to catch myself, and the rest of the branch sprung out and slammed the door out of my left hand. In the milliseconds of initial thought as I was worrying about the scratch on the car, but those thoughts were immediately interrupted as the CAR DOOR SLAMMED SHUT, TIGHTLY SHUT, AND MY THUMB WAS STILL IN THE CAR!!!!!!
SCREEEM!!!! LETTING out a scream and finding that I could not pull or twist my thumb out from the door! To add insult to injury my car gremlins were also not happy with my adventurous spirit,
CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK the eclectic door locks all fired and all the doors locked. Pinned to the car by the branch and not able to move because of the pain of my thumb trapped in the door frame time stood still
Where were the keys, there were safely still in the car, ….
Where was my cell phone, curses, its on the dash board
Here I was 2 miles from any road on the way to work, in the middle of the forest, probably be missed as night fell and I didn’t come back from work.. It occurred to me that some day a poor boy scout will come across a skeleton leaning against a car deep in the woods.
Auuuugggggg so So SO STUPID!!!!
Gritting my teeth through the pain, clearing my thoughts. This was a car with a touch pad car lock on the door, so not all was yet lost. Bending painfully against the tendons in my hand, trying to see the keys, typed in the code. NOTHING !!!!! no sound, no click, not unlocked !!!!
Auuuuug it hurt, it hurts…
Pull the handle to reset, and more slowly now try the code, ….
CLICK, Saved, now just have to turn the car around and drive back up the dirt road through tears and shooting pain, head ace, blurred vision,
But knowing that careful or else ……
So dear diary, in epilog, you can see why it would be better for only my wife to know (though I’ll probably never tell her this whole story) that my thumb was hurt, rather than having to explain it over and over again, Oh and one other good thing came out of this, I think Colleen is getting me a Spot Satellite tracker for Christmas so it's easier to find me-my skeleton.....