Always use a spotter (updated)
Every now and again, I'll fix a post so it reads better. I posted this while bleeding and in great pain, and laughing at myself at the same time this afternoon. It was a good start to a story. I fixed it so it reads better.
My neighbors gave me permission to harvest some cherries out of their tree. That was very nice of them. However, picking these cherries is much harder than it sounds. The tree itself is located in a bit of a precarious position. It's level with the end of my garden but on their side about a foot from the fence, there's about an eight foot drop into their backyard. This part of the lot is fenced with a little four foot chain link fence with the barb twists at the top. The cherry tree is in, what I can best describe as the corner of the back 40, but about in the middle of my neighbor's backyard The fence is on two sides of where I was picking the cherries. It's important to know that for in a minute.
I have two ladders, a six foot step ladder and a twenty foot extension ladder. I'd already grabbed all the cherries I could reach with the six footer. June was going to help me by keeping an eye on me while I picked cherries yesterday. That didn't happen because she was buys with other things that kept her most of the day, so I just did other things. She's off an running today and she told me this morning that if there was a chance I could fall off the ladder, let the birds have the cherries.
But they're oh-so-sweet and you only get cherries this time of the year. They don't keep and I really like cherries. I'm one of those idiots that'll pay $5 a pound for them in the grocery store. These, though, were free! FREE! And no worms!
My friends have seen me eat chicken. I'm worse with cherries. I can eat a two pound bag of cherries in a day. I don't typically buy them to share. I did however, share half of the cherries I picked with June, who shared them with someone else. I thought it would be nice to do that again so I wanted some for me and some to share, and as hot as it was, well, it was pick them today or let the birds have them.
I chase lions. Well metaphorical ones anyhow. I'm not afraid of much. I'm even getting over the snake thing. We saw a big one go across the back of one of the greens on the golf course the other day and it didn't bother me too much. So what's the big deal about shinnying up a ladder to pick a few cherries?
Feeling brave, I marched up to the back 40 with my ladder and had to juggle where I could put it in the tree. I thought I was on pretty solid ground, did my quick little ORM, and assessed that the reward was worth the risk. I picked what cherries I could reach. On my way down the ladder, there was one more cherry. It was just a bit out of reached and I stretched for it and that's when...
The ladder wobbled this way and that. Instinct kicked in. I knew where the fence was, where I was, and where the ladder was going so I bailed. When I bounced off the fence, I landed on my feet and other than feeling a few scratch marks and knowing I twisted some stuff that's really going to hurt later on today when it finally stiffens up, I didn't feel too worse for the wear. The ladder bounced and I took out about three feet of grape vine, but other than that, no worries. In the falling process, some of the cherries fell out of the bag and hit the ground. I picked them up, of course and that's when I felt this warm sensation like some kind of liquid was running down my leg.
It was cherry colored but it wasn't cherry juice, if you follow. I managed to put a small rip in my shorts and a small rip in my butt too. A quick shower to clean out the wound and good as new. Most people would have quit. In fact if you'd have had the feeling that if you did this you were going to fall off the ladder, you may have not tried it in the first place, especially when you were warned. So, what do I do? Hey, they're cherries and they're ripe. I went back out, set up the ladder in a different part of the tree and went back to picking.
I filled a small mixing bowl full of cherries. That's all that can be safely(?) reached and the birds can have the rest.
The moral of the story: Always use a spotter when you can. And leave some for the birds! Oh yeah, don't do anything stupid on a day that you have to go to work. Sure enough, I stiffened up during our beginning of the shift meeting and by four-thirty I could hardly turn my head. Some drugs and a hot bath helped. I'm OK laying down. Standing or sitting hurts. No more doing stuff on work days. I gotta start saving some leave.
Have a blessed day. I am. It could have been so much worse!
My neighbors gave me permission to harvest some cherries out of their tree. That was very nice of them. However, picking these cherries is much harder than it sounds. The tree itself is located in a bit of a precarious position. It's level with the end of my garden but on their side about a foot from the fence, there's about an eight foot drop into their backyard. This part of the lot is fenced with a little four foot chain link fence with the barb twists at the top. The cherry tree is in, what I can best describe as the corner of the back 40, but about in the middle of my neighbor's backyard The fence is on two sides of where I was picking the cherries. It's important to know that for in a minute.
I have two ladders, a six foot step ladder and a twenty foot extension ladder. I'd already grabbed all the cherries I could reach with the six footer. June was going to help me by keeping an eye on me while I picked cherries yesterday. That didn't happen because she was buys with other things that kept her most of the day, so I just did other things. She's off an running today and she told me this morning that if there was a chance I could fall off the ladder, let the birds have the cherries.
But they're oh-so-sweet and you only get cherries this time of the year. They don't keep and I really like cherries. I'm one of those idiots that'll pay $5 a pound for them in the grocery store. These, though, were free! FREE! And no worms!
My friends have seen me eat chicken. I'm worse with cherries. I can eat a two pound bag of cherries in a day. I don't typically buy them to share. I did however, share half of the cherries I picked with June, who shared them with someone else. I thought it would be nice to do that again so I wanted some for me and some to share, and as hot as it was, well, it was pick them today or let the birds have them.
I chase lions. Well metaphorical ones anyhow. I'm not afraid of much. I'm even getting over the snake thing. We saw a big one go across the back of one of the greens on the golf course the other day and it didn't bother me too much. So what's the big deal about shinnying up a ladder to pick a few cherries?
Feeling brave, I marched up to the back 40 with my ladder and had to juggle where I could put it in the tree. I thought I was on pretty solid ground, did my quick little ORM, and assessed that the reward was worth the risk. I picked what cherries I could reach. On my way down the ladder, there was one more cherry. It was just a bit out of reached and I stretched for it and that's when...
The ladder wobbled this way and that. Instinct kicked in. I knew where the fence was, where I was, and where the ladder was going so I bailed. When I bounced off the fence, I landed on my feet and other than feeling a few scratch marks and knowing I twisted some stuff that's really going to hurt later on today when it finally stiffens up, I didn't feel too worse for the wear. The ladder bounced and I took out about three feet of grape vine, but other than that, no worries. In the falling process, some of the cherries fell out of the bag and hit the ground. I picked them up, of course and that's when I felt this warm sensation like some kind of liquid was running down my leg.
It was cherry colored but it wasn't cherry juice, if you follow. I managed to put a small rip in my shorts and a small rip in my butt too. A quick shower to clean out the wound and good as new. Most people would have quit. In fact if you'd have had the feeling that if you did this you were going to fall off the ladder, you may have not tried it in the first place, especially when you were warned. So, what do I do? Hey, they're cherries and they're ripe. I went back out, set up the ladder in a different part of the tree and went back to picking.
I filled a small mixing bowl full of cherries. That's all that can be safely(?) reached and the birds can have the rest.
The moral of the story: Always use a spotter when you can. And leave some for the birds! Oh yeah, don't do anything stupid on a day that you have to go to work. Sure enough, I stiffened up during our beginning of the shift meeting and by four-thirty I could hardly turn my head. Some drugs and a hot bath helped. I'm OK laying down. Standing or sitting hurts. No more doing stuff on work days. I gotta start saving some leave.
Have a blessed day. I am. It could have been so much worse!
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