So, I was tilling under the last of the fall kale Saturday, just after planting thousands of tiny new seedlings of kale and collards. Tilling those kale plants in was so hard to do when I had come to know them so well. And, there were still edible leaves on them, although every time I harvested, the leaves came back smaller as the plants kept putting more and more energy into bolting! What a beautiful sight with the tall, tall yellow flowers reaching up above the nose of the tractor and bending back and lending their energy back into the earth for the new crop as I passed over them. No pictures taken since I was concentrating. Such a bittersweet day.
Apparently, that feeling distracted me as I hopped off the tractor to move some layflat (irrigation) out of the way. And so instead of gracefully exiting the tractor, I stepped into a hole with my right foot and rolled over, twisting my ankle. Fortunately, I was able to keep my cool. I curled up in a ball and just lay on the ground howling for what felt like several minutes as a gut-wrenching pain washed over me. Poor Anthony heard me from inside the house (!) and ran down the hill at top speed, worried I had sustained one of the very real, very serious, and all-too-common tractor injuries. After a few more minutes of me howling and whining with my face in the dirt, I was, with his help, able to put myself back together enough to realize it really was nothing more than a twisted ankle.
I here would like to thank my mom, a former physical therapist who made sure to teach all of us how to fall as kids - protect your head, get anything in your hands out of your way, and just go ahead and fall and don't be scared. And probably some other pointers too that are ingrained without me knowing it. I gave into the fall and wasn't scared. I let myself roll and didn't sprain or break my ankle. And, in light of the coming rain that afternoon, at the end of it all, I was able to get back up on the tractor and finish up the last of the tilling I needed to do for the Swiss chard transplants. Otherwise, it would have seemed I worked and hurt in vain. And even though I loathed leaving the field and the tractor and my other tasks that have to be done on a nice dry day, I came inside and iced my ankle. Still sore a day later, but I was able to run some errands today.
I am glad much of the transplanting pressure is off for this week. There are many things to catch up on and wrap up as I "take it easy" till the next round of seeds and transplants are ready to go in.
I love you, Mom!
-Mollie
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