Lumps...

Yesterday morning I was happily puttering about the house before work. There are some decorative items on top of the baking cabinet in the kitchen, and I was rearranging a bit. Somehow, a very heavy, vintage mixing bowl got knocked off the shelf. It didn't break, because my forehead stopped it. The wooden rolling pins inside the bowl rained down upon my head and shoulders as well. My glasses were forcibly dislodged from my face, and if I were a cartoon character little stars would have been drawn into the air above my head.

A large multi-colored lump arose where the bowl had landed. I laughed at myself, hard, and slapped a bag of frozen vegetables on the spot while I finished my mornings work. I didn't feel my perky best all day. My head was tender, my neck was sore from the impact,I was a little nauseous and really wanted to go take a long nap. But a full day of grooming was planned, so my sore self soldiered on. I got a good nights sleep, and felt much better this morning.

At least I did until Bliss, the innocent looking girl on the right in this photo...

...kicked me, hard, in the jaw while I was milking her. Insert more stars. Milk soaked ones, this time. Over the years that I have been milking goats, I've been kicked on my thighs, belly, arms and chest any number of times. I have had bruises that would make a medical professional ask, "Are you safe at home?" We have joked that a goat could kick our teeth in, but it never really occurred to me that this was a genuine possibility until this morning when a naughty cloven hoof landed a firm wallop on my right jaw. I uttered some unpleasant words, stopped the milking right then even though she was not nearly empty, and ushered her at a brisk pace back to the pasture.

I felt even worse after this, with shooting pains up and down my spine. At lunchtime I had the bright idea to call my chiropractor, and as luck would have it they had an opening in 30 minutes. Rachel gamely took on all the grooming so I could exit. I hopped right in the car and the kind doctor saw me as soon as I got in. He adjusted my neck, my back and my hips. He tenderly smoothed soothing cream on the lump on my head. He gave me a cold lazer treatment. I left feeling better, but for some reason oh-so-tired. I suspect that after a good nights sleep I will feel fine.I also suspect that I will be in bed very close to the time the sun goes down.

We had our first frost last night. It felt odd to look out the window and see everything glazed in silver. It made the deck steps very slippery, but I carefully avoided falling down them. I figured I'd had enough lumps this week.

Tomorrow the temperature is supposed to be back in the 80's but the season is clearly changing.
I will endeavor to have no further head trauma's in the coming days, and just enjoy my favorite time of year.