Yokels

Every Monday morning I call my parents to check in and let them know I'm still okay. They appreciate it. Well, this morning my Dad called me from the cell phone. He starts the conversation by saying Mom and he are on their way to Bethesda (Medical Center). My immediate thoughts are all lousy, so I was actually pleased to hear that they were visiting the hospital due to the small fact that my dad ran over his foot with a lawn-mower this weekend.

I checked in later to get the full details. Dad was backing up a hill while mowing with a standard gas-powered push mower. He was in a rush for something, so he wasn't wearing his steel-toed boots as he usually does. As he backed up the hill he tripped backwards over a stump. Falling backwards, one's natural instinct is to grab hold of whatever possible. What was possible for my dad was only the mower. So he basically pulled the mower over his foot, cutting his toes, breaking bones, causing whatever mayhem a dirty tennis shoe and lawn mower blade can cause.

He's in surgery now. My mom has been assured it's nothing she needs to be concerned about... A common procedure. They need to clean the foot, get at the infection, and repair the work done by the local hospital this weekend. They're hopeful he'll be out by his birthday (Thursday). He'll no longer have the top half of the second toe on his right foot.

Happy Birthday Stumpy!