It knocked down the tree house. Our poor darling tree house. Loved by many, many children. Such a loss.
This shot was taken through one of the broken windows in the barn. Yesterdays left over tornado winds went for windows and doors.
The second thing is that I was looking out the kitchen window when I saw a small barn door break loose and begin to knock itself to bits, so in my ballet flats and a pinny (I was making cakes for the kids) I quickly ran out to fasten it again. I was very quick. Very agile. Like a woodsprite dancing through the wind and falling branches, laughing at the storm. I grabbed the door and hauled it against the wind, latched it back, called out to Sheila not long now darling, she grunted back trying not to show her resentment at being locked in. Daisy went ‘yoo hoo.’ Soon Daisy Paisley. Soon, I called at the top of my voice like a song. I was the King. I had it all in hand, I called. We have had storms before darling, I said to Boo, who leapt and whined at his first bad storm. .. We are OK.,I said,
On the way back to the house, I ran across the grass and up the path, leaping for the steps that I had climbed a thousand times before, I never step on the first one I always run up two and sometimes three at a time, with the wind at my back I could leap the whole lot I thought and did, but a growl came from the sky, the skies lights dimmed and the wind let loose with its other ideas – gathering its forces. After beating up on towns along the way, it hit one of its 60 mile an hour gusts. And as I reached the top of the steps it picked me up, said – that’s enough of you – and threw me back down the wet steps, backwards, no purchase, no stopping. I had this sublime moment when I saw myself tumbling down on my back, twisting then hitting each step with my little bottom, like a caricature, a joke, a cartoon, a doll. The wind roaring about me with all the fury of my past, my ears sung with it, snarling, biting and then I hit the bottom and all was blue and silent and I thought .. Am I hurt? Is this bad?
Wind moved on, flicking his cruel sharp tail at my uncombed unruly hair, hurling his abuse at the saddest sky, Sky could not help. Wind had had his say. Sky, my Rangi, could only watch. I wept for him. I cried out for home.
I slid to a halt with one foot beneath me and one stretched out and watched one of my little shoes fly out ahead and Wind zipped back and blew it out of reach then laughing like a dark cloud in a cupboard, he was gone.
Rangi watched as I sat very still and took a deep breath. My minds eye, blue as blue, moved about my body counting bones and muscles. My skin a canvas stretched thinly above muscle and tissue. All present and possibly correct. Wait, Rangi and my Mother (who has been dead for years) said. Stretch each limb first so we can see. All four were good, though the legs were slow to obey. There was a delay. Get up, I said to them. NO, they said back. I used ‘language’ my legs ignored it. Wait said my Mama.
After a while, after cruising through my body checking and rechecking, I had trouble getting up. The hurt was in the deepest bone, a primal bone, a comical bone. A pivotal yet laughable bone. The coccyx, the tail bone, the glutimous maximus. I would say rise, get me to my feet and it said. No.
Now, I know you are going to tell me to get to a doctor. All the doctor will do is give me drugs. Pain relief. Probably codeine. Take two of these he/she will say after 30,00 dollars worth of xrays, then go lie down. For reasons that I do keep close to my chest, I choose to have nothing to do with doctors At All Anymore. (Note the capitals) I have had more than enough of them when I was young. And have not seen a doctor in over 25 years. I know this might make you mad but I am your test case. Let’s see how long I can go without entering the deeply screwed up medical world. Food cured me. Just me though. I am not saying you should do this. But do not tell me to see the doc. I know what is wrong with me. It will be OK.
I have a miniscule hairline fracture in the left quadrant of the lower bit of the coccyx and then I bashed up the sacroiliac joint. Only a little, a teensy hairline fracture at the most. I can point to the bone for you but it is so BORING to discuss .. and very painful to sit upon. All this without xrays.
It will get better in its own time. I will be a wee bit slower than normal for a while. The animals don’t care. I don’t care. Being here is the most important thing.
Because not far from here, very close in fact, there is dreadful damage from the tornado that whipped up this wind. People have lost their homes. So it could have been much much worse.
Love your friend on the farmy,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
137 responses to “The Bad Wind Came and Did Two Bad things”
Oh, Miss C, I was so worried about you. It sounds terribly dramatic, and it’s good news that all of you are most unscathed. I too have had a broken tailbone and yes, all it takes is time and donut pillow to help it heal. Sending you good thoughts and fair winds.
Dearest Celie, we’ve been so worried about you the ;last couple of days, and this post shows we were right to worry. If you are resolute about not consulting a doctor, at least take painkillers – I know how badly that area can hurt – and sit on a blow-up donut cushion.
What were you thinking of going out in slippers and without a hard hat? Barn doors can be mended, tree houses can be rebuilt, but our Celie is precious to the Fellowship, to her animals, to John and the Codger and the poorly Mum’s children. PLEASE TAKE AS MUCH CARE OF YOURSELF AS YOU DO OF THE FARMY.
Your anxious and loving friend,
ViV xox
So glad to see your post this morning. I too was wondering how you were faring. Hope you heal soon.
Celi, you are an indomitable spirit! Amazing! Nothing but nothing is going to get your goat–even if you had one! You know how there are padded bras? Well, I think there are padded butts too. This isn’t the first time you’ve hit the behind. I’m thinking of the electric shock and the fall through the barn loft. I don’t know if Spanx makes them,but it might be worth looking into.
I’m so sorry about the darling treehouse. Such a charmer.
But most of all, I am so relieved you and your critters all are safe.
you are right equus, I do have a habit of knocking myself about.. but this feels like the worst actually, it has affected my mobility quite alarmingly. So am hoping that it will get better swiftly.. there is too much to do!. c
Glad to hear you and yours are ok, relatively speaking. You mentioned you hurt your sacro illiac? If it is out of whack or seized due to the fall (well lift and fall) this may be the problem with getting up and down. Is it difficult to put weight on your foot when standing up? Lifting your foot even a little bit to takes steps? I have all of these problems when my SI seizes, makes me very immobile, hard to step over smallest things, especially if a twist or turn is required as well. If so physio can sort it in one go, or it does for me. I have been to several who all do the same thing to realign the SI and then I am good to go. Anyway just saying in case this is what is going on with you as well as the cocyx thing. It is rare to have a back remedy that works so if it is this it is worth looking into.
Sad to see the treehouse taken down, as well as you – a peg or two! Never get to cocky with Nature!
I have sympathy regarding your tail-bone. A few years ago a ‘resting’ racehorse I was exercising somersaulted me onto mine two days in a row. I was not amused. As one gets older one doesn’t bounce quite as well as one used to.
‘too’
I, too, was worried for you yesterday and came to check the blog. Thank you for posting a comment so that we could at least know you had not been carried away. So very sorry to hear what the Bad Wind did. It is remarkable to me that you are able to tell of the events so poetically. A wonderful gift.
Bless your heart (or the other end!). Like me you do and then think – see what needs critical attention and just go for it! Well now you will have to slow down a bit girl. Funny how many posts here say they also have done things to that particular place in the body (me too), it must be a ‘woman’ thing to make us fall on the largest part of our bodies LOL.
With you on the doctor thing too (again can’t believe how many of our friends here agree). After all a doctor is just an analyst that searches the body for clues and then tries to come up with something that will help – when truth be told all those chemicals may help the ‘spot’ of trouble but can cause so much further damage to us! being a computer analyst most of my working life, I can do that bit myself thanks, and use better judgement (it is my body after all) on how to cope.
Sending big hugs!!
Oh Celi! When I heard the news this morning I prayed it didn’t happen to you as I wasn’t sure where Washington, IL was located and how close to your farmy it was too! Terrible destruction…so terrifying to experience. Your lovely tree house gone and damage to that wonderful tree! Oh no!!!
Most importantly you!!!! I know how painful breaking your tail bone is…I fell out of the pickup and broke mine. I thought too…that I had broken every bone in my body! I was stunned!!! Of course Kevin picked me up after I made sure I wasn’t paralyzed and hadn’t broken every bone in my body and took me straight to the emergency room. Further embarrassment came when his male cousin was the x-ray tech who x-rayed by lower back!!! (my bare bottom) Thank God he had to keep silent! Ha!
Yes. It was broken. I was in so much pain for so very long! I couldn’t sit and walking was a chore… like I was 95 years old and then some!
You have my sympathy believe me! I know how you felt lying there and how you feel now. (((hugs))) I had a lovely doughnut that was wonderful to sit upon! Our insurance covered most of it, but here is always the extra $$$ which makes me wonder about insurance!
We lost huge trees leaving gaping holes in the ground and lost the top of our winter shop right before our very eyes! The winds peeled it off like a giant can opener! Wang wang wang it went and gone! I hate tornadoes! They terrify me!
So glad you are safe albeit in pain. You could use a neighbor now yourself! Take care and heal fast my friend…so many depend on you! It will take some time I know! Much love and understanding coming from me! xxx
p.s. ice heat ice heat ice heat ice heat!!!!
I was very eager to get online this morning to check in on you. I’m not very familiar with the geography and don’t know precisely where your precious farmy is plotted, but I was fairly certain you’d be affected. I’m tremendously sorry you’re injured, but if there’s anyone I’d bet on for complete recovery it’s you. Hugs from here to there and I couldn’t begin to convey how much I care about you and yours! We all do…maybe that will send some extra “oomph” to get you going. oxo
Thank you, I going to put my outside clothes and go out and see how much I can do.. keeping moving seems to be a common advice.. so I will take it.. c
Oh no. so painful, I’m so sorry for you. Like others I too have had this injutry and it takes many months to heal. Rest as much as you can (easy for me to say), sit on a cushion and do you have arnica? That really helps. Take good care of yourself miss c.
i must stock up on arnica next time i go home, i don’t know where to get it here, other than the internet of course..
Can I send you some – would the US mail let me do that? Happy to help, I have a health food store 5 mins from the flat in Bexhill, I could get it in the mail to you tomorrow x
That would be great, but only if I can send you some home made soap as a thank you!.. lavender or lemongrass? Since i cannot sit down i am making the lemongrass today.. It can cure in the mail!! (laugh!) c
Sounds like a great deal to me – e-mail me your address and I will sort 🙂 I don’t mind lavender or lemongrass but suspect it will be heavy to mail, so please don’t feel obliged, am happy to help your rear end regardless!
Next time you go to the Big City, you can get arnica cremes at Whole Foods and other health food type stores. Not much help at the moment, I know. Fingers crossed for speedy, uncomplicated healing for you. Glad the damage was not worse.
So pleased the “arnica” conversation has happened and that a helpful soul will send you some. Cream for massaging and little pills for taking please Chica. Be careful if using comfrey as someone suggested, it’s not called ‘bone-set’ for nothing, you don’t want your butt healing all crooked. Take it as easy as you can the next few days, it will speed the healing more than if you push yourself now.
Glad to hear you’re all safe and no major damage done to property and animals. I was following the news closely, as my daughter is in Ohio and there was mention it might be in the path, but she was fine. Poor Boo.
Arnica will ease the muscle pain of which I am sure you have plenty! I don’t care much for comfrey. It is really strong stuff! I do like white willow bark for an anti inflammatory. What ever you think works for you! 🙂
I know today you are really feeling it! Time….that is what it takes. So sorry you are in pain!
wow… and ow, but so glad overall you and yours are/will be OK!
Oh dear, Cecilia!!! A long-distance hug for you! Your photos are amazing, and having you safe and the animals safe is a blessing!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
I will get batter fast but am furious at the number of things I cannot do today.. the pain is wretched, but wlll get better over time I am sure.. c
I know it is….sigh…don’t forget to ice heat ice heat ice heat! I have had so many sports injuries! uffda…
Celi, I’m so sorry you’re hurt! I’ve done the same thing a couple of times–sitting down with a boom!–but not in the midst of a storm! I can see you’re pressing on with what has to be done, but some rest may be in order, too. Do take care. I’m relieved the damage to the farm wasn’t worse; I only wish there’d been NO damage to you! Hugs.
I hope you heal qickly and I am glad you are okay. I am so happy your farm is is okay but sorry to hear about the tree house !! Take care and feel better soon !!!