North Carolina Christmas Trip....

12/19/2009

My dear friends and casual reader,,,Merry Christmas to one and all.

Karen and I planned a trip to North Carolina today but sometimes plans do go awry? We knew there was a storm hitting the east coast this weekend, but thought we would be spared this in our plans and make it to Hickory without any problems.

Thursday I got Karen's Escape serviced and ready for the planned trip. I got a haircut, wound up all my company business and by Friday night I was ready to pack for the trip beginning this morning.

I got home before Karen and got the last of the laundry dried and got all our winter gear out to pack for the trip. I called Karen earlier in the day and hoped she could get off early but she said it would be 5:30pm before she could leave.

But I am still working toward the trip last night when the phone rang and it was Karen. Please meet me in the garage and ferry some of her things into the house. I met her downstairs and ask her if she was alright? No was her response!

She unlocked all the doors on her Escape and she motioned me into the hatch in the rear. She was slow getting out and I noticed she was limping. I stopped everything and ask what was wrong. After she talked to me Friday afternoon, she made a trip out to her car to get something and fell on the parking lot, and hyper-extended her left ankle.

I questioned her a little coming in and got all her package into the house then helped her in. She said it has been raining all day and she feel backwards coming back from her car and fell on her left ankle. Enough said.

I helped her undress, got out the heating pad, and got her comfortable. She had brought a large chef salad home and we split it sitting on the bed and making sure her ankle was as comfortable as possible. She called her mom and told her about the fall and both suggested we start the drive Sunday and give her a day's rest on the possible sprain.

She slept fitfully last night and was some better in the early am Saturday. But as the evening drew near, it began hurting again and she has piled back in bed. We ate lunch together and enjoyed some homemade cookies a neighbor shared today, and they were still hot out of the oven.

Now I am not sure if tomorrow is possible to begin the trip. It may be Monday and everything is on hold right now just waiting to see how she does. Several months ago, I too took a fall into a filling station the day before a trip, and Jeff had to stay home. Now it was Karen's turn to have the run of bad luck.

Wish us the best, and let's hope she does Ok tonight and feels like making the 8 hour drive tomorrow. Time will tell? Jeff

 Evan Jones

Merry Christmas Jeff and Karen. Remember, on snow covered roads, if you're not sure, don't. And save the single malt until you get there.