Heavier-than-air flight

This morning was a little more eventful than necessary.  I took off on my bike as soon as it was light enough to ride, heading for Santa Fe Community College.  Nice fresh path, paved last year.  It’s about a four-mile ride with lots of interval training, “hills” to those who speak English. 

  

Heading down one of those hills I fortunately slowed for an attractive Chinese girl who was jogging up, and unfortunately moved just an inch too far to the right.

   

Some conscientious homeowner had raked all the leaves off the path, but had piled them up in a neat line that hid the three-inch drop-off.  So just as I passed the girl, my front tire slid off the edge and the bike threw me onto the pavement.

  

I made a two-point landing, left knee and elbow.   The girl came back and helped me up, very nice, and asked whether I was hurt.  I said I was okay and sent her on.  I’d hit pretty hard but was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved flannel shirt; I’d skinned the elbow and knee, but not badly.

    

I went on to the campus and wrote for a couple of cups of coffee in the student center there.  Regretted that I didn’t have any painkillers, but it didn’t hurt enough for me to go out of my way and buy some. 

      

Taking advantage of the beautiful cool weather, I left early and pedaled around for awhile.  Stopped for a coke a mile or so from home, and wrote another page.  Elbow throbbing but no big deal.

    

When I got home, though, Gay was on the Skype-phone with a friend, and I told her/them that I’d had a little spill.  Gay had to look at the arm, of course.  I was startled to find that I couldn’t roll up the sleeve; the elbow had swollen up too much.  Took off the shirt and there was a actual goose egg over the elbow joint.  I’ve had my share of scrapes and all, but don’t recall that particular symptom. 

     

If it were broken it would hurt a lot more, I figured, so I just put on some dumb daytime television and sat with an icepack.    Then I graduated to reading with the icepack, and relaxed in the tub, and now I think everything is okay.  Still swollen, but the joint’s mobility is unaffected and it just aches a little.  (And no, it doesn’t make any distressing noises when it moves.)  About four I started moving around the kitchen, company tonight.

    

More tomorrow, comparing this undramatic boo-boo with Alabama ten years ago.  Thrills, spills, can’t tell the players without a program.

Joe