Cameraless

The old HP digital camera is dead, as well as the much newer one. This time it wasn't the camera's fault.  I blame it on the design flaw of a monument.

I wanted to take a photo of the plaque at one side of the Daniel Nimham Memorial at the Putnam County Veterans' Park.

I had the plaque in the viewfinder of the camera and I was stepping back very carefully to site it, since the zoom doesn't work in the camera.  The next thing I know I'm tumbling backward into the small circular structure in the middle. I was first aware of hitting the bottom of my head and my lower back.  I landed on a sharp rock, that I could literally feel in my back the next morning when I woke up.  My thighs came to rest against the interior of the stone wall.  The camera went flying and landed on the gravel. The door of the battery compartment sprang open and the batteries fell out.  I held onto the stone wall, keeping my aching head up and yelling, "Ow!  Ow!"  I was in enough pain that I couldn't think of yelling anything else.  A couple leaving the park stopped and pulled me out. I don't think I would've been able to get out by myself. I remembered I had a blue ice pack in the cooler and put that on my head for a while.  It was not fun driving two hours home.

The next week was pretty much a washout.  The fall aggravated the bursitis in my hips. My neck was so sore.  I was very glad that I already had a cervical collar at home.  I put that on and it helped so much.  Any one position hurt after a while so I alternated between sleeping and sitting. 

To add insult to injury, I had just finished sewing a ribbon dress.  I wore it for the first time to a pow wow at the park that day.  It did not survive unscathed.  The fall must have torn at the fibers.  Washing the dress weakened them further. One stroke with the iron and they gave way in the pattern of a tear from a sharp point.  The dress is made out of one piece of fabric, so there is no way to make it look like new again.  I'll darn the tear to keep it from raveling and then I'll probably patch it.

For the immediate future I'm cameraless. I know of a way I can buy a good used digital camera reasonably priced.  I'm going to check reviews first and stay away from the brand I had before.  I don't know how long it will take since finances are very tight. 

It's been a month since my fall.  I wish I could say I'm all better.  I've just entered the worst part of my outdoor allergy season.  For some reason September is worse and I don't know why.  It's a shame because there's usually some beautiful weather during the month. This coming weekend I'm going to the Cherry Valley Kite Festival, something I haven't done in a few years.  I'm in serious need of some good, old-fashioned, pointless fun and I think it's worth some stuffiness later.