This morning I looked out my back window and saw a number of birds around my feeders scrambling for the last few seeds.  The back yard is a veritable sheet of ice, so there was no way I would be able to replenish the feeders.  Instead, I decided to try another approach.

I filled a large glass container with birdseed, opened my sliding door, and stepped carefully onto the back deck.  It was covered with about 4 inches of snow and glazed over with a thick crust of ice.  The ice seemed as hard as a rock and did not give under my feet.  I slowly and cautiously moved across the deck until I reached the side rail and then took one step down the ramp.  Holding the rail, I then heaved the birdseed as far as I could into the yard.  Unfortunately, the force of the throw caused my left foot to slip, and I hit the ice hard.  I was on my back, and my left leg was jammed through the porch rail.  The fall’s impact was mostly absorbed by my keister, and though I was somewhat dazed, I did not believe anything was broken.

The most difficult task was extricating my left leg and foot from the rail.  That took several long minutes. Even when that was done, I could not get back up on my feet on that ice, so I crawled and slid on my stomach across the ice and through the back door.  Once in the house, I pulled myself up by grabbing onto a chair.  What a relief!

All’s well that ends well, they say.  I thank the Lord that I was not seriously hurt – only a sore knee.

Falls are extremely hazardous to older people.  Be very careful, and watch that ice!

My birds will need to wait a while for more seed.