My fishing partner and wife were walking their dog last month when she stubbed her toe on a small irregularity in the sidewalk (about a 1/2" raised slab). She landed face-first on the pavement. Her face on one side looked like raw hamburger. Broke her eye socket, but not her nose. (If she had caught herself with a hand she probably would have broken an arm or wrist.) She had a concussion and is still having some dizziness issues.

She is 60ish, in great physical shape, but just mis-stepped.

Last week a friend that I play golf with tripped and fell in his driveway. Yesterday he died. He was 60ish with some health issues.

As we get older, we can't take much for granted. I don't work on roofs anymore, or work on ladders over about 12'. Why tempt fate. (I try to remind myself that I'm 75 not 25.)

Simplest of moves/missteps get harder to avoid as I get older.

My knees are what keep me off of a ladder unless absolutely necessary.

About 7 weeks ago my 60ish neighbor tripped on the threshold of her pantry and broke her femur and both wrists when she hit the kitchen floor. She still can hardly walk and can't cook. Still waiting for 'PT' to fix her.

Last year one of her horses tripped walking down a hill and rolled over her. Multiple fractures there too.


She's had more broken bones than anyone I know.

30+ years ago I came off a horse + shattered my right wrist. I now have a very dependable barometer.

I tell everybody I have to be careful.

I do not bounce like I did when I was 20.

Kind of timely this one. I was taking some freshly canned quart tomatoes down to put them away and when walking down stairs, holding the box with both hands, I couldn't see ahead of me and missed the last step. Went crashing ahead into the shop and made a sudden stop up against my compressor. Banged my left new knee pretty bad and got a bloody nose. Saved the tomatoes though!

And I thought you had a limp when I saw you before you got the tomatoes!

Jim, I can relate. 30 some years ago I was venting out an exhaust duct in a local plant + standing on top of my 10' ladder, I was trying to shoot the last screw in without having to get down + move my ladder. Needless to say, the ladder went out from under me + I grabbed a purling + hung there until I could convince the stupid wetbacks to get off their ass + put the ladder back under me. But I never dropped my Milwaukee drill. Funny where your subconcienc priorities lie.

Bad thing was in retrospect that hanging on that ladder took out a vertebrae + has given me grief ever since.If I had known that it would bugger my neck for the rest of my life, I would have dropped the G.D. drill!

quote:

Originally posted by Norman Conquest:
Bad thing was in retrospect that hanging on that ladder took out a vertebrae + has given me grief ever since.If I had known that it would bugger my neck for the rest of my life, I would have dropped the G.D. drill!

I learned along time ago to throw shit. It is a lot easier to replace stuff then fix my self.

As a knife maker you learn real quick if it drops..don't grab it. After 50 years I don't grab ANYTHING when it falls.

As they say, "too soon old, too late smart". In my youth I was always consciences of my tools, still am actually, but not so rabid.

I fell and had hip replacement.
I can still work in my shop but sitting at the computer is a drag.
Review your medications. So happens some can get you in trouble.