Boxing Day Luck – December 27

On Christmas Day, Bart lost his right front shoe. The day after Christmas, Boxing Day, I texted Fred to let him know, hoping that he could stop by when he was in the area. I thought we might need to wait several days.

Well, we were in luck! Fred was nearby midday, and came to give Bart a new shoe. Naturally, I had been unable to find the missing shoe. Fred had a visiting young shoer with him, River, from Alabama. In a small world synchronicity, River is married to Addie, the daughter of Tina, who worked for us forty years ago!

Harry came over to say hello to Fred. The shoe was on, and we all walked over to the house to see the back porch. I was in the lead, and as we passed the corner of the house, Harry caught a toe on an uneven part of the sidewalk. He fell hard. I turned and saw River catch Harry an inch before his head would have hit the concrete. I could not believe the miraculous save! Poor River was sorry that he had turned away just before Harry tripped, so he hadn’t prevented the fall altogether. I believe he saved Harry from a head injury. With Harry on a blood thinner because of his heart, hitting his head on concrete would have been catastrophic. It was an extremely close thing, and incredible good luck that River was strong and quick enough to prevent a real disaster.

Unfortunately, although Harry’s head is fine, most of him is rather bruised and battered. We patched him back together, and I stocked up on extra large band aids at Walgreen’s. I will refrain from showing a picture of Harry’s right knee, which is extremely gory looking, but superficial. The left knee is also skinned, though somewhat less appalling. There was a good deal of bloodshed from his right wrist and hand, but luckily, he finished his latest project on Christmas Day, so he can take a holiday to heal. The worst pain is a popped rib, and that will take about three weeks to get comfortable, I say, from recent experience.

Altogether, we are feeling very fortunate. River was like a guardian angel, swooping down at the last second to avert tragedy.

The dogs have been very attentive to Harry, understanding that he is in some discomfort. Weedy, of course, is a perfect nurse, and Eddy is doing his best to be less rambunctious than usual.

Every day is an adventure, and we are very grateful for the abundance of good fortune we have been granted. Much of that luck is manifested in friends and acquaintances, who enrich our lives, and save us from misfortune. Also, that horseshoe I couldn’t find must have landed facing up, keeping the luck from spilling out.

Treasure every day, be mindful, and try to avoid falls!

Be safe, be well, be grateful and kind. Slava Ukraini! Peace…