Really?

(Yesterday) Call to daughter GunDiva:  "So, while I'm in town today, do you suppose you could wrap my leg for me?"  (She spent many of her younger years as an athletic trainer, so this is a specialty of hers.)

GD:  "What did you DO???!"

Me:  "Well, I was sort of showing a guest a special side lunge, and my foot landed on the edge of a rug - which slid out from under me.  I just pulled a muscle; I think it would feel better wrapped."

GD: (Later, as she is inspecting my right thigh)  "Explain to me again just what you did."  So I proceed to show her.  "So, you did the second-base stretch!"

Me:  "Yep, that would be it, but I'm not quite as young as when I used that stretch."

GD:  "Have you called your doctor?"

Me:  "No.  It's just a pulled muscle."

GD:  "How do you know?"

Me:  "Well, everything still moves in the right direction; it all works, I just have no ...."

GD:  "strength in that leg, right?"

Me:  "Yeah. - and I have a knot on my knee from where it hit the floor."

GD:  "Have you called your surgeon?"

Me:  "No.  Why?"

GD:  "You could have messed up your hip ...."

Me:  "Nope.  It still works."

 I sort of forgot to mention I showed up using my cane heavily again.  She graciously did a beautiful wrap on my leg and gave me many warnings about calling my surgeon if the leg didn't feel better in a day or two.  I did my normal town stuff, gimping about with my cane and gobbling my ginger root, which I use as an anti-inflammatory instead of Ibuprofen.

Fast forward to today.

Compass (at the Livery):  "Juanita, can you come help me out for about 20 minutes?  I have a big ride going out and could use an extra hand getting people mounted."

Me:  "Sure, be right there."

We get all 15 kids on horses and just as they are leaving the yard with two wranglers, she gets a call from her vet, saying he is on his way up.  Now she can't go out with the ride...

Compass:  "Can you go out with this ride?  I have to stay and wait for my vet.  It's only an hour; take my horse."

Right.  My leg is wrapped and I don't even know if I can throw it over a horse; it was a fairly major sprain...and her horse is BIG.

Me:  "I'll go it I can get on, OK"  Amazingly, it was pretty easy to get on the horse and felt quite good, so off I went on a ride that turned into a 1 1/2 hour ride.  I even managed to get off and help with a cinch check half way through the ride.  It was a big help that I know where all the embankments are to make it easier to mount and dismount a tall critter!  (I did learn that her horse has a much rougher trot than either of mine.)

I had just gotten home, when the phone rang.

GD:  "Hi Mom.  How's the leg?"

Me:  "Great.  You do a great wrap.  Just got back from an hour and half ride."

GD:  (Silence, then..)  "What?!  Are you trying to mess up your body before your clinic?"

Me:  "Hey.  No cane; no limp; the ride felt good."  She's still a really good trainer!!!

And yes, Bill and I both get to go to a clinic in a week.  It's a beginner's Cowboy Mounted Shooting clinic, and it's the first time we get to go do something like this together.  I am mega-excited!!!  We will be taking my two grays, so they can learn how to handle all the sights and sounds involved in this type of sport.  So, I was a little worried when I injured myself, that I wouldn't be able to ride for the clinic.  I guess that's why I hopped on the horse today; it was a good test.

Bionic Cowgirl