Senior Down

Today started off well with an in-depth apartment cleaning, including replacing the patio’s outdoor rug, severely damaged by wind, rain, sun. The cosplay costumes went back into storage for this time next year, scrapbooking supplies came out of storage in preparation for adding photos from the last three events to the album, i.e., the community’s Halloween Breakfast/Costume Contest, Halloween Wigged Out 5K and last Sunday’s Wonder Woman Run.

Along about 11:00, I headed out to the dumpster and spied a roadrunner ─ the second I’ve seen on the property, and realized I didn’t have my cellphone.

I rushed to the dumpster, deposited my bag, then rushed back upstairs for the cellphone to take video of the creature.

Why?

Because it’s not something I see every day. In fact, never until that first encounter about a month ago and it fascinates me that they walk, instead of fly, and walk just like in the cartoons ─ at hyper speed, but without making a beep beep sound.

So, cellphone in hand, I rush back downstairs, walked along the perimeter and managed to find him over by the mail center.

The mail carrier thought I was taking photos of her.

She started posing and asked, “You taking photos of me?”

“No”, replied I, “I’m trying to capture this roadrunner”.

She went back to her mail sorting, I turned around and spotted the roadrunner sitting on top of an air conditioning thingie, stepped off the concrete path into landscaping, started video running and that’s when my day took a turn for the worse.

Focus on the roadrunner, I began moving about for a better shot, failing to remember I’d stepped off  the path and into shrubbery, backed up and fell over a bush.

I managed to hold onto the cellphone during the fall, so the fall and roadrunner were captured on video, which video I’d post for you except I heard a strong curse word come from my mouth during the fall and no one needs to hear that.

LOL.

The No. 1 fear for us seniors is a fall.

A fall can change your whole life.

One guy took a fall on the property, hit his head, went into rehab and we never saw him again.

One woman took a fall, ended up having to have a shoulder replacement operation.

In my case, nothing was broken ─ thank you God, but I ended up with a bruised and very sore right hip, a nasty looking bloody scrape on the right elbow, my right ankle feels sore, as does the palm of my right hand, which I probably tried to use my right hand to brace the fall from soft landscaping dirt onto the pavement.

I don’t think anyone saw me, not even the mail carrier. If anyone did, it’ll get around and will eventually work its way to me. In which case, the rumor mill will probably say I was drunk -- which is what was said about the woman with the shoulder replacement. I myself don't drink and the Santa Ana Winds were blowing hard so, if I anyone tells me they heard I fell, rather than admit I made a stupid mistake, I'm gonna blame it on the strong winds. ROFLMAO!

The injury didn’t slow me down. After treating the broken skin areas with Bactine and Iodine, to avoid infection, I limped around and finished the in-depth cleaning, including vacuuming the carpets, waxing the linoleum tiles.

Knowing my body is going to stiffen up and begin to ache from the trauma, as soon as I stop moving ─ making it difficult to get out of bed tomorrow, plan for this evening is a good soak in Epsom salt.

Me thinks I’d better restrict my cellphone capturing to virtual, i.e., PokémonGo.