Monday Mischief: How NOT to Plan Your Halloween Costume!

So, Friday, October 4th, was an unseasonably warm day. It was in the upper 80's and very pleasant. I wholeheartedly wish that day had been cold and rainy. You will see why. Because it was so nice, we decided to go out for dinner after work. Instead of hopping in our car as we would have on a rainy day, we decided to ride John's Harley. That turned out to be a very bad idea! We had a nice dinner at a new place close to home. When we left, thanks to the nice temperatures, we decided to take the long way home. This meant taking maybe an extra ten miles of back roads that wound through some neighborhoods and large open fields. We were cruising along, enjoying the ride, when I hear John shout out a loud "Oh, F*CK!" and out of the corner of my eye saw a brown blur. Before it could even register, the motorcycle took a hard hit from a buck sprinting across the road. Of course, the momentum of this strike sent the bike into the oncoming lane. Our guardian angel had obviously been riding along with us, as there was no traffic coming in that lane. Thanks to John's many years of motorcycle riding experience, he kept a level head and struggled to maintain control while decelerating as quickly as possible. The bike wobbled, it's balance disrupted, but slowed significantly. I had just started to think that he had it, that it would stop safely, but unfortunately, this road had no shoulder whatsoever, and into the ditch we went! My next memory was of lying on my back looking into the faces of two women I didn't know. I instantly remembered what had happened, did a quick mental body scan, and was surprised when nothing really hurt! My next thoughts were of John, and the women told me he was conscious. Then I succumbed to a few minutes of panic. Soon came the sounds of the emergency crews and their ambulances. And before too long we were on the way to the ER.....(sadly George Clooney was not on duty!)

Now, obviously, I am here telling this tale, so the outcome was a good one. Amazingly, I broke no bones, but had plenty of bruised ones! My hands took the brunt of the damage, swollen and covered in plenty of road rash (and, man, oh, man did that hurt later!). They are much improved as I type this some ten days later. John wasn't quite as fortunate, but he, too, will be fine, it will just take a bit longer. The fact that we both went home later that same night is a true miracle. Motorcycle accidents rarely have happy endings and the fact that we are both still alive and relatively unscathed is a true gift!

Now, this post isn't meant to be all doom and gloom! Even when the going gets tough, I try to see the humor in things. After all, laughter is the best medicine! I will now tie in the title of this post so things start to make sense.

In the ambulance, the EMTs took scissors to my jeans (not my favorite pair luckily, but close!), cutting from my ankles all the way to the top of my thighs. Then, they cut my T-shirt free (it was a brand new one on its first time out, oh, well....). They wanted to see what abrasions, etc, they were dealing with. We get to the hospital and they wheel me in to my own little curtained cubbyhole, and get to work cleaning me up. My hands were a bloody mess and needed to be well cleaned to get the road dirt out. While this was going on, they had me hooked up to fluids (and pain meds, thank goodness!). Getting through ER on a Friday night is never a quick process and after a couple of hours of hanging out with the fluid drip, it occurred to me I needed to pee and pee BAD! Hospitals aren't a place for personal dignity, so my nurse says she will help me walk down the hall to the restroom. Keep in mind what I am wearing.....Jeans cut to the top of my thighs, but with the full length still attached (so not like shorts!), and a sports bra. My hair is a mess, I'm covered in bruises, scratches and splotches of blood, headed for the bathroom......All I could think of was that I was a Zombie lurching down the hall....brains, Brains, BRAINS....I need brains! The pain meds may have made me a bit silly. As a Halloween costume goes, I think I would have won it hands down on authenticity!

Over the next few days my hands continued with my Zombie transformation. One day they were purple, the next day they were green, by mid-week, they were a swirl of both colors. I had a very realistic Zombie thing going on......But I wasn't content just being a Zombie, I had to mix it up a little. My hands were not a pretty sight, so I often kept them covered with gauze stripping from just behind my finger tips to half way up my forearms.......and voila! I was a Mummified Zombie!

How's that for a Halloween costume?! Definitely the stuff of nightmares!

Of course, I absolutely do NOT recommend this method of costume inspiration and creation. It's time-consuming, painful, and you still can't take it off after the party is over!


Needless to say, I haven't been doing much in the line of picture taking. My hands were too sore for the first few days, and just plain clumsy. It's also been raining for days here. It provided the perfect incentive for the rest we needed! And since Jimmy was still on his rest period as well, we all just hung out at home and vegged out. We all seem much improved now and, very thankfully, ready to move forward. Hopefully, I can bring this blog back up to full speed sometime soon.......