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Its hard to believe that while the temperatures are currently in the 90’s in Florida that we do have some cold weather and some freeze warnings.  When we do, we have to do some preparations.  Now I don’t mean putting on snow tires or making sure your snow blower works.  Occasionally, we do have to pull in those beautiful tropical plants that can’t withstand freezing temperatures.  One such freeze we were reminded that it’s not getting easier as we get older.

Now we have downsized our collection of plants but nevertheless there were still a few plants that need a little assistance to insure their health and longevity and therefore we were pulling in pots from the cold wind.  When we were almost done, Thad went out to the far corner of our lot to carry in a beautiful pot of Rex Begonias.  When he lifted it up he lost his balance and fell backwards.  When he fell, the large, heavy pot landed on the inside of his knee.  He laid there for a minute assessing the damage.  I was on the screen porch and saw it happened and by the time I got out to him he already had a grapefruit size goose egg where the pot had landed.  There was an abrasion on it but the size and how quickly it bloomed had us more than a little concerned as Thad has had vascular issues before.  We thought about just icing it down but the nagging concern didn’t go away.

So to rule out any possible issues such as compartment syndrome, an embolism or anything else that a 73 year old worries about; we knew a visit to the ER was in our immediate future.

I’m sharing all this with you because four hours and x-rays later it was a large but harmless hematoma.  On the way home we stuffed down our frustration with a Wendy’s dinner and returned home at 8 pm to face a couple of other pots that had yet to be covered or pulled in.  Thad was set to commence (the sugar rush from the Frosty had kicked in) but I was adamant that he put his leg up and ice it.  I would take care of them.

I picked up a heavy pot that held our beloved Desert Rose to bring it into the house.  It was indeed heavy but I was careful to use my core, and my legs and arms to carry the load rather than injure my back.  I finished the chores and came inside to clean up and looked at the fourth finger of my left hand and noticed what I thought was dirt.  I wiped it off but it didn’t go away.  So I went to wash it off and it still didn’t go away.  Turns out I had broken some blood vessels myself. Sure enough, the finger swelled up and was stiff and turned a deep shade of blue/black.

When I explain this to our daughter and our son-in-love, Richard said to us “What’s with the pots, Mom & Dad!  Either ask us to help or better yet, get rid of these pots, you don’t need to be hauling in pots.  It’s time to just cover the plants you want to protect them and leave them in the ground.”

So my question to you is – do we just cut out everything we love out of our loves?  I say NO.  But we do have to work smart. Instead of trying to prove to absolutely no one that we can still do this there were several better choices we could have made.   We should have had a cart nearby for the two big pots rather than try to lift it completely and strong arm them into the screened in patio or house. They make wonderful carts – we can even get them from Amazon and not even have to cart the cart into the car to get it home.  Better yet, do as Richard says, and get rid of the pots and put the plants in the ground and use old blankets, sheets, or plastic sheeting to cover them right where they are during a freeze warning.  And if that gets too much, we should have the name of a handyman or gardener in our contact list to come to our aid and rescue.

Now that indeed would have been smarter and cost less than the $3,000 emergency bill.  And in less time than we spent finding out it was a really large hematoma we could have booked a cruise.

Be smart, work smart, and book that cruise!

Thank you for reading my post.  If you have found it encouraging please consider liking, commenting or sharing it.  Feel free to even re-blog – may these words take flight!

I have additional insights I’d love to share with you found in the pages of my debut book: Surviving Medical Mayhem – Laughing When It Hurts.  To order a copy or learn more go to my website at www.lorettaschoen.com

Blessings for Health & Wellness.