Saturday, June 7, 2008

Full Contact Organic Gardening


Thanks to all who have called, send notes or cards.

I came home on Friday, six days after the injury. I am getting around with limited assistance.

Thank you for your prayers and kind thoughts.

For those of you who scratched your heads, wondering how I "fell in my garden,"

I would like to clarify: I practice a rarely heard of form of "Full Contact Organic Gardening!"

I provide stimuli for all the microbes, protozoa, Hypha, Fungi, Mycorrhizae, split tails, centipedes, and red wiggler compost worms, which inhabit the Organic garden world. It is all fairly high level stuff having to do with the "soil food web."

As I was releasing some leaf mulch mold from the woodland property behind me, a secondary life form was released at the same time. A very animated and one might say, angry because of that said release. The area directly in front of me exploded with excited, angry yellowjackets, which took direct aim at me.

All of my sports training emerged; I ran directly down the trench I had previously dug as I harvested both the composted leaves and the rich humus earth. I zigged and zagged in my 3-4 foot trench for 10, maybe 12, feet and then prepared for my next amazing act of prowess.

I planted my foot and went to turn; all parts of me were sent different messages at the same time: my foot faced south, my knee hyper-extended and turned east; my upper thigh and hips rotated north by north west.

Ouch, pain, but more importantly, the thunderous buzz of the yellowjackets. I hit the ground, well not just the ground, but the trench and a pile of leaves dropped by an American Holly (Latin name: Sticka me directly in the body everywhereous). Either from the yellowjackets’ perspective I was no longer a threat or by concealing myself within the rich compost and leaf mulch, they retreated to the nest site to take care of rebuilding what I had destroyed. I was safe from the onslaught of stings and bites.

I crawled out of the woods and called 911. After a 20-30 minute wait, two women EMS arrived (weighing no more than 100 lbs each) to hoist me up on the gurney. They assured me it would happen. I had my doubts but they lifted me up, up, up just about to the gurney and stopped. I could see the pulse pumping in the throat of the one. I said, “Please put me down.”

After "I" crawled up onto the gurney, my son helped the two EMS push the gurney out of the woods. I was loaded into the ambulance. The driver needed directions to the local hospital. It seems they were "out of towners" on loan to our firehouse. I quickly felt my pulse and started counting, Thank God...my heart was pumping strong and regular; not a chance of the big one happening, but we still had 5 miles to go.

Once in the emergency room, we found out that I hadn't really blown out my knee, but had pretty much destroyed all the bones and structure which the hardened knee cap needs to rest on and protect.

At the hospital the surgeon on call was on a two-week rotation from Walter Reed. He was good but he would cut me and I would never see him again. Or I could use a surgical team (Tom Klein) that was rated as the best in the area and had an office just across the street...hmmmm.

Oh yeah, his wife knows my wife and he just finished repairing knees on two folks we knew closely.

The hook: I had to wait until Tuesday for surgery and would have to hang in the hospital eating Percocet and some other exciting drugs for a few days; they had to order special parts for the surgery . . .

I have pictures on my facebook page; you’re welcome to see them. Write me and I will friend you.

As I said I'm home. I can roll out on my deck and watch the garden grow; some friends are coming to work my garden and compost piles.

I can pee and poop by myself. It's the little things. I hope you'll never have to learn this, but those who have, you know what I'm saying.

My wife - I love the smell of my wife's perfume and her touch on my skin and broken bones.

I am thankful for my friends and family. Without them, healing takes so much longer. Friends have gathered in my hospital room and will do so in my home. Friends have offered rides, food and books both on tape and page-turners. I am grateful and humbled by your thoughtfulness and kindness.