Oh Poirot, it hurts so terribly to fall, even if nothing is broken. What a helpless feeling, to know there's no one there to help you. You were probably right, that you husband would have been more of a hindrance than help, if he had known. I used to worry about emergencies when my husband was disabled. Not only would I have had to take care of myself, how would I take care of him? I did fall down the back steps once during that time. Nothing broken but the pain was so excruciating, it took awhile for me to be able to get myself up.
About the phone, this is something I think about a lot. My worst nightmare is falling when I'm outside and not being able to get away from red ants and other things that would hurt me. I could be there a couple of days or longer before anybody would know so there's no telling what might devour me. Sometimes I think to take my cell phone with me, even just in my yard, but usually not. It probably is true that one of the alert buttons to wear is a wise investment for any of us who live alone--or the same as alone. My parents, in their later years, had only one phone jack with a rotary phone. Their solution was to have a really long line put on the phone. It literally reached to every spot in their house. The downside is that it could be a tripping hazard. All of us were amazed that they never did trip on it. Poirot, I hope you have already felt the worst of your mishap and will quickly improve each day.
After two days of messing around with my car, I'm finally sitting here letting some stress flow out. Yesterday morning I got ready to go to town to do several errands. As I drove off down the driveway the car began to "cut out" or "miss" or something--felt like it was gasping for breath. Thoughts flooded in as how this was the way it felt the time the rats had chewed the wires/hoses and my car engine had to be replaced. But by now I was about a mile away from the house with several hills in between and it was hot. I knew I couldn't walk it and I had no phone service (was at the bottom of a hill) so I turned around and slowly drove back home, while constantly watching for any warning lights to come on. I really needed to go to town though, so I went in my work truck, which is a beating to drive, especially in town. But I kept reminding myself how thankful I was to have a backup.
When I'd gotten the car to the house I tried to open the hood to check for---you know what. I'd never had any trouble opening the hood but now I couldn't find the lever that releases the latch under the hood. Where it was supposed to be, there was a big something in the way. It felt like hardened dirt but round and smooth. Yes, very much like a dirt dauber nest. Somehow, I managed to get the hood open in spite of it and sure enough, a dirt dauber had encased the lever in a big round ball of adobe-like mud! Also, sure enough, there was a rat's nest of furry junk and mesquite leaves embedded in the car's wiring, with plenty of evidence, including chewed wires and a small hose, among other things. I talked with my mechanic a couple of times this morning and just a little while ago a tow truck came and hauled my car off to the shop. The car still runs so I don't think the engine has been damaged but looming over my head is the question, "What am I going to do to keep it from happening again as soon as I get the car back?" After five years of battling this, I can say with some assurance that moth balls and every other remedy imaginable are nothing more than fables.
