To Bee or Not to Bee?

         Our son, Brandon, had tickets to a concert in Joshua Tree, California. He and his girlfriend Melissa, rented a car so they could take Odin, his 165-pound Great Dane.

They had just arrived when Brandon abruptly injured his back. It was one of those “last straw” moments when he hardly did anything, but managed to tear a disc! He couldn’t walk or stand and said his pain level was eleven.

Melissa dashed him to the nearest emergency room, where they couldn’t do much. And here is where we learn how very much Brandon is like his mother, and cannot have one mishap without more bizarre mishaps piling on.

First of all, as Melissa picked him up at the curb and was trying to help him out of his wheelchair, a BEE flew up Brandon’s shorts. Who else has this happen? 

                

Brandon called the car rental company and asked if his girlfriend could bring it back for him.

          Absolutely not, he was told. His was the only name on the forms. Brandon explained that he couldn’t walk or drive, but their only suggestion was to have the car towed, for $150.00!

          Instead, Melissa drove it to half a block away, then Brandon carefully crouched behind the wheel and drove it in.  CRAZY!  And it turned out the folks there didn’t even care, as long as the car was back.

          That night a friend told him that sleeping on a mattress topper on the floor might help his back, so Brandon was just drifting off when the Great Dane, asleep on the sofa next to him, STEPPED ON HIS EYE!  And now he has scratches on his face.                                                                

          I’m telling you, he is three-for-three living my same life.  Maybe he should start writing a blog.  Meanwhile, sorry for the DNA, Brandon.

          Try to avoid injuries by sitting still at your computer and watching my Youtube Mom life hacks right here.

Backing Out

            I thought about calling this blog “Out Back” but didn’t want you to think I'd won a trip to Australia. 

Nope, and even if I had won such a trip, I’d be unable to go because my back went out last week.  I keep waiting up for it to return, but it’s a rebellious thing.

            I know what caused it—all the decorating and undecorating for Christmas, finally catching up with me.  And now it’s time to pay those eleven pipers piping.

            So I’ve been icing it with frozen peas (bags of them, not one pea at a time, thank you) and wearing a Velcro strap for my Sacroiliac.  Sacroiliac, by the way, is a fun word to say, but not a fun thing to have out of whack.

            Nevertheless these are the times that make us grateful for friends, and I must give thanks to Kathy Ray for driving me to her wonderful chiropractor, Evan Mountford.  And to Renae McDonald for delivering a fresh, steaming loaf of homemade bread that we slathered with butter and honey and virtually drank on the spot. 

And to Jen Zumba who gave me Lidocaine patches and to Tina Martin, who delivered them.  And to Suzanne Aedo who attended my 8 a.m. church leadership meeting for me.  Belonging to an LDS ward literally means you have a cluster of sisters who actually care and who jump into action.

            Last, I must thank St. Bob for helping me wrangle myself into pantyhose for church, for helping me stand every time I sit down, and for making chicken pot pie when I couldn’t move enough to cook.  Okay, he bought frozen ones and baked them, but still. 

            He also drove me to my last doctor appointment and when I happily reported that I put my own socks on that morning, he said, “Until now she’s been wearing mine.”  Did I mention that when you have an injured back, laughing is one of the most painful things you can do?

Do not lift objects that are too heavy.  In fact, the exact weight you should be lifting is just under a pound. What a coincidence—that’s the weight of one of my books!  Get these back-saving lifesavers here!