The words you say…
may surprise even you!
The fence post had rotted in the horse pasture alongside our road and needed to be replaced. I got out the post hole digger and was glad I remembered we had a “hot wire” along the fenceline so I went to the barn to turn off the electric fencer as I headed out.
We hadn’t had much rain and since it was such sandy soil I went back again for water to pour into the hole as I dug so the sand wouldn’t keep falling back into it.
A while later Paul came driving by on the road and slowed down to tell me he was going to the workout center. I stood up and paused and thought - I’ve got 40 acres of “work out center” right here.
He must have thought it over too and said, should I help you?
Good thought!
Paul’s extra strength in digging the hole made quick work of the project. Until he decided to put the seven foot wooden post into the hole... and he didn’t notice where I was standing... and I got clobbered on the head!
My doctor had warned me when I had gotten hurt previously to wear my riding helmet when sawing down branches. But there wasn’t a tree around the fence.
So why wear one?
Now I know!
At that point I just walked away, clutching my head because I thought it must be pouring out blood and if I didn’t die I would probably be incapacitated and immobile...
My neighbor had been hit in the head with a tree branch and for months was in a coma... hospital... recuperating.
My teenage granddaughter was still recovering from a concussion from a soccer game... months earlier... having only half days at school... headaches... etc.
And maybe that’s why I just kept saying, “Go ‘way... go ‘way...”
(“Minnesotan” for “get out of here!")
I thought I meant Paul.
I know I appreciated him digging the hole faster than I could but I didn’t realize how tricky it can be when working with another person. Like earlier in the day when we were fixing a wire by the gate and Paul’s finger got squished when I was holding onto some tool.
But mainly I am surprised at my verbal response of just saying “Go ‘way.”!
I know many other words I could have been saying.
That would have been appropriate in my mind.
But this is better.
P.S. Of course the next day when watching the last minute of the Minnesota Vikings football game on TV I decided to just walk away from it. They were winning by six points. But the other team had the ball... you probably know what happened.
Yes, it was better that I didn’t watch.
I might have remembered some other words a little stronger than: “Go ‘way!”
.
