109 CHRISTMAS FREEZE

Just before Christmas, the cold weather moved in.  We had a brief spell of it in November, when it snowed on November 1, but not much until mid-December.  I still can’t find any boots to fit and so far, it’s cold and dry.  When it gets icy in fact, runners are probably the best kind of footwear for walking on icy sidewalks and roads.  I’ve never been nervous about walking on ice, I guess that comes from playing hockey most of my life.  I’ve never fallen on an icy sidewalk or road before either.  I have had a couple of close calls but always managed to catch myself.

Well, it finally happened.  I was out walking Toby and we did our usual route.  We got to the road we turn on and head up the sidewalk, on a slight uphill.  The sidewalk ends by a driveway to a house and you must step out onto the roadway at that point.  I looked carefully, and the road appeared top be dry and bare.  It was -4C and so I stepped carefully out onto the road and my feet slipped.  I almost managed to catch myself, but with the swollen and unfeeling feet, my balance isn’t the greatest and down I went.

Instinctively I didn’t do too much to break my fall, which in the long run probably saved me from injury.  I did land on my left hand, of course the one that doesn’t work so well, and it hurt, a lot.  My face was heading for a meeting with the asphalt, but as luck would have it I was carrying a big bag of Toby’s poop.  My face hit that, and it cushioned the blow, preventing me from smashing my face.

OK, I know what you’re thinking, gross, right?  There was no problem.  The bag was tied shut so there was no spread of the contents.  I laid there for a few minutes taking a mental inventory of what I might have injured.  Feet, seem ok.  Knees, no problems there.  Did I break a hip?  Nope, so far so good.  Shoulders and arms are fine.  Hands were protected by gloves and the pain in my left one has subsided.  All in all, I’m doing ok.

Now the problem comes in.  I’ve never been what you would call a flexible person, but I am way less flexible after my hospital adventure.  I avoid sitting or lying on the floor because I have a great deal of difficulty getting up.  Heck, I even have trouble getting out of a chair sometimes.  Anyway, I’m lying facedown in the middle of the road and it’s time to see if I can get myself up.

Here’s where a major problem kicks in.  I’m lying on a sheet of ice on a downhill slope and with minimal flexibility.  So, I make the effort to bring my legs up underneath me to get to a kneeling position.  There’s not a chance that this is happening.  Every time I try and push with my feet, they would slide back out from under me.  This went on for about 10 minutes and I was getting no where.

My body heat is rapidly being sucked out of me and I’m starting to shiver.  The body heat is melting the upper layer of the ice and the -4C temperatures are refreezing it and I am starting to stick to the road.  I keep moving to prevent my clothes from sticking and keep trying to get up.  I’m in a winter jacket so that will keep they hypothermia at bay…for awhile.  But, I am starting to get worried about it.

I’m lying on a frozen road and starting to stick to it.  It’s a side street and it’s still under construction, so there’s not a lot of traffic, if any.  I wiggled around enough so that I could get my cell phone out to call for help.  I’m not sure who to call though.  Renee doesn’t have a car and is at work.  Caitlin and Karl are both at work and a long way away.  So, I decided that it would have to be 9-1-1.

I don’t know how kindly they’re going to look on me considering I’m uninjured, I just can’t get up.  Plus, if they come I’m pretty sure they’re going to want me to go to hospital just to get checked out and I really don’t want to do that.  I finally made the decision to do so, when a fellow comes running up to me asking if I’m ok.  I explained what happened and he helps me to roll onto my side.  I try to scootch over to the curb but that doesn’t work.

He sees the problem, runs back to his truck on the busy road below and comes back with a mix of salt and kitty litter which he spreads out around my feet.  He’s trying to help me up, but we are not having much luck, especially since I’m still holding onto Toby’s leash and won’t let go.  Then another fellow arrives and backs his pickup truck up the hill within a few feet of me and opens the tailgate.

Grabbing it and with the assistance of both, we manage to get me back on my feet.  I thanked them profusely and wished them a Merry Christmas and they got back in their trucks and drove off before I could get their names.  Just an amazing couple of fellows that would stop to help a stranger lying on the road.  Thank you to them, whoever they were.