I have had better days but never more blessings

The morning began different.  The 2 neighbors and I had planned to play golf, but it was raining.  The predictions was for 70% of rain, but it never developed.  Evelyn went off to the LWML meeting with her desserts, and I stayed home to smoke the ribs I bought yesterday.  I got the smoker going and then worked on the email.  Around noon I went to the neighbor’s and borrowed an extension ladder to clean one of our downspouts.  Yesterday’s rain revealed that one was plugged.  I put the ladder up and went up to check the location of the leaves, etc.  I had put a rock under to slope side of the ladder, but, as I started down, the up side began to slide.  I went down with the ladder and was blessed to roll over and land on my back and left side.  I knocked the wind out of myself.  I had to wait a while and roll over to get up.  I said a prayer of thanksgiving for being spared any broken bones.  After a while, I went to Gary’s to ask him to come and unplug the downspout.  He did and so we did get to be together even though not on the golf course.  I went back to the smoker to collect the meat.  Some of the ribs had stuck to the grate, and, as I tried to release them from the grate, the pan of boiling water fell into the coals and splashed all over me.  There was charcoal dust blowing in the air, blinding me.  My lower right arm was burned rather badly, but I ran immediately to the aloe plant in back of our house.  I broke off a spine and rubbed it on my arm.  I was still covered with ash but was relieved by the juice.  After a while, I went in to take a shower.  The cold water was tolerable but the hot water was painful.  I continued applying the aloe and a package of frozen vegetables after Evelyn returned.  I think I will be more sore tomorrow than even today.  We did take a nap, and I thought I would hardly be able to move.  I was wrong then but do dread tomorrow.  That was another blessing from our Lord.  After supper, Jerry returned and finished the job of removing what turned out to be the nest of black hornets nesting in the peak of our roof. 

This is a picture of the black hornet nest that was in the front peak of our house.  The man who brought it down said their sting would “knock you down.”  It was full of hornets and future hornets.  Ouch!