Oh Deer!

At 6:00, literally at the crack of dawn, Carl drove Hannah and me to Joplin for my EGD, short for esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Try saying that ten times real fast. Heck, try saying it once real slow. As I rode along, gazing out the side window, sipping forbidden coffee (the doctor had ordered no food or drink after midnight the previous night...oops) I noticed how the two ice storms this winter had torn the top branches from most of the trees. The entire landscape looked wounded. My mind began to create a metaphor, when I noticed movement in the ditch.

Grabbing the door on my right and the console on my left, I applied imaginary brakes with both feet as I said, "Oh my. Oh. Oh. Slow down. Oh no." My calm, quiet voice did not match the screaming in my head.

Carl slammed on the brakes and, to his credit, maintained complete control as ten deer darted onto the highway in front of us. Yes, ten. Carl brought the Tahoe to a complete stop and for a moment, I thought one of the stupid deer was going to jump into the front of the Tahoe and dent it despite Carl's excellent driving. It didn't. The deer finished crossing and we drove off, my melancholy mood replaced with adrenaline.

The day continued smoothly after that. The EGD went well, the doctor biopsied my throat (to try to determine why this keeps happening) and I slept most of the afternoon as a result of the anesthesia.


Now I feel GREAT! Seriously. Maybe my winter blahs have been caused in part by sleep deprivation. After my nap I arm-cycled in the sunshine while Carl and Hailey played soccer. The sky was blue, the temperature warm and I finally felt like doing something. Come on spring!