Monday, October 14, 2013

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.......

26 comments:

  1. Oh my. I am very glad that you are both OK. I am certain that John's level head and experience contributed significantly to a happy outcome.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my goodness! We are motorcycle people too and have seen our fair share of accidents - I'm so sorry, but am glad you are both on the mend.

    Monty and Harlow

    ReplyDelete
  3. Holy cow! I am so glad you're ok. It could have been so much worse. We both rode harleys until a couple years ago.
    Love the costum idea. Take care and get well!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am SO glad you're both alive and well! And where are photos? Your description is vivid, but really ... pictures!!

    I kid. You're right - it's a miracle you both went home that night. Glad you did. :) *hugs*

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh my goodness! That is not the kinda mischief we like to hear about! I'm so glad things weren't worse. That is super scary! But, yes, dealing with it with humor would be my way too - can't help but smile at the image of you zombie-like on your way to the bathroom.

    I've had a few minor accidents on a moped before so I know how badly road rash hurts!! Ugh. Bad memories listening to the part about them cleaning you up! (When we lived in Bermuda, most folks there ride mopeds as you are limited to 1 car/house. Whenever it rains after a long dry spell, the roads are super slick with oil and lots of folks go down! Me included! Not fun.)

    Rest up and feel better!

    ReplyDelete
  6. OMD thank God you both were OK. Bad enough hitting a deer in a car but Lord on a bike. Hope you and hubby heal soon. Take care. Have a marvellous Monday.
    Best wishes Molly

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ohmy goodness that goodness that you are ok

    urban hounds

    ReplyDelete
  8. Heck, that's one way to make a night out memorable! Glad you are both OK, yes, the outcome could have been far worse. Gravel rash is nasty, I'm not surprised you had technicolour hands for a while. Hope you're all back to normal soon.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am so glad that you and John are ok. Holy smokes, I'm so glad you are here to write this. I hope that you continue to heal and sending you hugs.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh wow - I am SOOOO glad that you and John are in relatively good condition after that accident! How scary!

    Ahahahaha - mummified zombie! I really hope you are feeling better soon. I can't imagine how you were able to type all of that with your hands in that condition.

    Sending you hugs (not brains, sadly). ;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, what a frightening event. So glad you and John are both okay. Yeah, don't use that kind of a thing for inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The up side--maybe you looked so awful no one recognised you...BOL!

    So glad you weren't seriously hurt. Oh, and your cold weather turned up here, minus the rain.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank goodness you are okay! How very scary. Angels were definitely looking out for you two, along with John's riding experience no doubt. I agree you would have made a good zombie costume for Halloween. Welcome back to the world of the living!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh my goodness... what a very scary story. I'm so glad that you are okay and are mending. I was once a bicycle racer, and I experienced road rash many times.... but I suspect it was nothing like what you've been through. I hope you keep healing and steadily feeling better.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank goodness you both are okay!! You guys could have ended up worst!! Harleys are so fun yet they can be also dangerous at times!

    Please stay put, and rest! Hugs, Francesca

    ReplyDelete
  16. Scary!!! So glad you guys are alright!! Take care of yourself!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. OMG! I work with a bunch of motorcycle guys, but your story trumps all of theirs! Wow. Hope you are both healing well!

    ReplyDelete
  18. HOLY COW PATTIES!!!! I am SO glads you guys are okay!! Ma was readin' it and thought s*it!!!! Ma used to ride on the back of motorcycles so she knows how scary this can be even at the lowest of speeds!
    Phew. Well, at least you got some good drugs and one helluva halloweenie costume out of it!!!! BOL
    Sendin' the both of you some POTP!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

    ReplyDelete
  19. Yikes! My heart was in my throat reading this one! So scary. When there hadn't been anything new on your blog in a while, I started worrying about little Jimmy. Turns out we should have been worrying about you! Glad you are okay.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Holy moly that's scary stuff. So, so, so HAPPY to hear you and John are doing just fine. DK used to drive a motorcycle and a car cut us off on the highway in the rain. It could've ended badly for us, but thankfully, we're still kicking. I wonder how the buck is. Are you having venison for the next year?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wow! What a tale! I'm so glad you and John were not more seriously injured and that you're doing much better now! I wonder how the buck fared? Our town is a popular Harley destination and the highway into and out of town is a narrow, winding mountain road. There are many motorcycle accidents here, and many don't have happy endings. I've been meaning to do a post one of these days featuring all the roadside shrines in the four-mile stretch between town and the valley below. So relieved that you are okay!!!!!

    Susan (and Wrigs)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The buck died on impact. I went back the next day to look for a few things that got left behind (like John's motorcycle boots!) and the buck was dead on the side of the road.

      Delete
  22. SOOOOOO GLAD you guys are ok!!! I can't imagine how scary that would have been. Take care of yourselves!!!
    ~Rebecca & Teach

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh my goodness! So glad you are relatively unhurt. The dogs would be happy too if they understood what happened :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'm so glad you'll both soon be OK! (Gorgeous new banner photo!)

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...