That's Going To Be a Bruise

I officially hate riding the nature trail. Flying along it this morning at 11 mph (for me that's flying), I took a sharp turn too fast, froze, and went right where I looked: into the brush besides the trail. Flew off my bike, scraping my elbow and landing on my hip. Dang, that hurt. After a few minutes, I was able to stand and get back on my bike. Our first plan was for me to ride on to Grant's work, then catch the bus back to our apartment.

By the time we rode to Bear Cut bridge, I decided I could ride home, which I did, slowly. Now I'm in bed after failing to get comfortable on our love seat while trying to watch the Tour de France. I can barely walk. Hungry, I limped to the kitchen by hanging on every available surface to support myself. I made a sandwich and limped back to bed to eat it. In my efficiency in moving, I got rid of the walker I had for my knee replacement. I also passed on both of my grandmothers' canes. They were interesting wooden ones but not really safe to use. Next time I get up, I'll get one of the walking sticks out of the closet.

Of course I'm obsessing about having a broken hip. Not going to an emergency room to have it checked, just obsessing. The last time I fell off my bike, I broke my collar bone. I heard it snap when I landed. This time I didn't hear anything, so that is a good sign, isn't it?

Even on Key B  

Breaking my collar bone came under "no good deed goes unpunished". We were riding the Loop Road in the Everglades with some friends. I spotted an aluminum drink can thrown down by the roadside, so I picked it up and bungeed it to my back rack. Got back on my bike and rode on. I hadn't secured one end of the bungee well. It caught in my rear wheel and only stretched so far.  My bike came to a halt, and I tumbled over my handlebars. Fortunately Grant was able to ride to the car and come pick me up. Rather than going to a Miami hospital, we opted to drive to Broward General, stopping for BBQ on the way. Always a good decision to eat before going to an emergency room. Makes waiting less miserable.

Why do people litter? Even though my broken collar bone was my fault, if that soda can hadn't been thrown down in the Everglades, I probably wouldn't have fallen off my bike.  I'd think if you wanted to see nature, you'd be the kind of person who doesn't throw down their soda cans. It also brings up why do people throw down those dental picks?

For a while, I was taking a picture of every dental pick I saw on the ground. In parking lots, at the hospital, in restaurants. What's the deal? You can't be bothered with flossing your teeth in private and throwing the pick in the garbage? The worst was the one on a nature trail. I quite taking pictures because they were depressing and because they were hard to contextualize. I could not resist this one last: at the base of a palm here on Key B. On this over-the-top affluent island with doggie poo trashcans everywhere, and someone has to throw their dental pick on the ground?