Day in the life of a pioneer

Part 1
This morning joins our Pioneer as he leaves his abode.  The temperature is warmer than it has been recently, exactly at the freezing point.  A drizzle is in the air, and falling upon the frozen ground, it is making footing treacherous.  Alas, chickens need food, weather be damned.  We watch as the pioneer tightens his boot laces, sets his jaw in a hard line, and hoists the 40 lb bag of chicken food onto his shoulder. With stern resolve, we watch as he heads toward the sloping ice and rain covered driveway, making his way with short and tentative steps.  It appears that a hazard is in the making, but what can be done?

Part 2
The trip is going better than expected, the footing is poor, but not impossible.  Short steps don’t stop the sliding of the boots, but keep it under control.  Suddenly, the inevitable happens!  Feet fly from under our hero with great and terrible speed, the weight of the bag on his shoulders increasing the speed astronomically!  His body slams to the ground with an earth-rattling crunch.  We hear an elbow strike with a noise reminiscent of glass shattering as an audible moan is forced from his body.  Slowly, ever so slowly, the pioneer begins to move his limbs, checking for areas of injury rather than just pain.  When he is satisfied that nothing is broken, our man struggles to his feet.  He is on the steepest part of the slope now, but it can’t be helped.  He shoulders the bag again and presses on.

Part 3
The rest of the trip is anti-climactic.  There is a shooting pain in the elbow to be sure.  One hip aches, and some small amount of blood trickles from the left nostril, a vessel somewhere burst by the impact, but the trip is finished and the chickens are fed.  As the pioneer walks back up the slope, a sweat breaks out on his brow at the thought of the catastrophe  experienced, as well as the greater that was averted.  One trip remains yet:  The chickens need water…

Short version:  Busted my ass pretty good this morning.

Todd was this you this morning?

James Freyr wrote:Todd was this you this morning?

Sure was :)

Todd Parr wrote:Short version:  Busted my ass pretty good this morning.

I could feel your pain...nice writing and I hope you can take it easy for the day now.
I think a lot of times the next day is when you find out your real pain level...hope that elbow is OK.

My physical therapist would say to get some ice on the places that hurt...

Judith Browning wrote:

Todd Parr wrote:Short version:  Busted my ass pretty good this morning.

I could feel your pain...nice writing and I hope you can take it easy for the day now.
I think a lot of times the next day is when you find out your real pain level...hope that elbow is OK.

My physical therapist would say to get some ice on the places that hurt...

Thanks Judith, I'll get some ice on there as soon as I get home from work.

I figured this is the kind of stuff that happens to people every day if you live in any kind of rural setting, so people can relate to how ridiculous I must have looked.  I would have loved to be outside looking in and seen that :)

Part 4 - Day 2
Our trusty pioneer, having learned a valuable lesson, has acquired some sand to ensure a safer journey to the livestock....  

Glad you're not broken, those falls get worse as you get older.  Hopefully the new property you purchased can have the chickens in zone 1 to reduce winter travel risk.  

Mike Jay wrote:Part 4 - Day 2
Our trusty pioneer, having learned a valuable lesson, has acquired some sand to ensure a safer journey to the livestock....  

Glad you're not broken, those falls get worse as you get older.  Hopefully the new property you purchased can have the chickens in zone 1 to reduce winter travel risk.  

I turned 54 a couple weeks ago, so believe me, I don't heal as quickly as I used to, but I'm not too brittle yet.

Our trusty pioneer might also consider something with wheels for carrying heavy things. Just because you CAN carry 40 pounds doesn't mean you HAVE to! Wheels are your friend!!
I'm about to turn 55, and I relate too well to "Ouch! That one will take a while to heal!"
And I learned the other day about glaze ice for the first time, oh holy crap. Welcome to Missouri, you ain't in the desert anymore. But yes, chickens wanted feeding, so I got walking sticks and carpet bits, and was very careful.

I also narrate some of my "adventures" to myself to make them a little more fun to think about. "What are all these ants in this barn doing? Why are they here? Today, on Rural Living Gets Real, we figure out how to deal with a dead buzzard in the barn! (Eeewwww!)"

I don't heft bags like that, but I do walk a dog in icy conditions. I have ice grips on my boots; they're great!

BTW, I love your "Day in the life of a pioneer" story. Maybe take up writing instead of chickens?

Jane Weeks wrote:BTW, I love your "Day in the life of a pioneer" story. Maybe take up writing instead of chickens?

Thanks Jane, but I just write in that overly dramatic way because I think it's funny, even if few people agree  I live only a few minutes from a small town and have all the usual modern conveniences, but I say things to my girlfriend like "I'm heading out to take care of the livestock" when I'm going out to fill the bird feeder or "Life's hard on the frontier" if we run out of english muffins.  Those comments are usually followed by her saying "You're an idiot", which I like to tell myself she makes in jest.

Pearl Sutton wrote:
I also narrate some of my "adventures" to myself to make them a little more fun to think about. "What are all these ants in this barn doing? Why are they here? Today, on Rural Living Gets Real, we figure out how to deal with a dead buzzard in the barn! (Eeewwww!)"

Pearl, I just love that :)

I didn't. Eewwww!
That was the first trip out to the property, before we moved, first chunk of "rural" I had to deal with. Was clearing the barn so I could unload moving van into it. Welcome to the Missouri rural life, how tough are you, woman? Have a half decomposed dead buzzard!! Eeewww!!
I did it. I'm tough :D

You need to tell us more stories of the intrepid pioneer! Preferably ones that don't end in pain....