(Untitled)

[iidoru]

A Tale of Christmas Woe

(Disclaimer: Nobody gets an inappropriate lap dance in this story. Just so you know.)

Time: The morning of Christmas Eve
Place: My parents' house in Québec City

Cast of characters
G - The heroine of this story, clearly
E - G's sister
M - G's mum
D - G's dad

G gets out of bed around 10:30 am and heads down to the kitchen in

Comments

[leoff]

Glad he's ok, but owch, what an accident!

Is it silly of me to ask what he was doing on the Garage roof during a snowfall?

[iidoru]

It wasn't snowing at the time, but our garage roof is flat and there was over a metre (3 feet) of snow on it, so it needed to be cleared off. Clearly, somebody should have been holding the ladder and standing by, but my dad is used to doing all this stuff on his own, so it's kind of useless to get angry. (Plus, he was badly injured, so I think scolding him is kind of moot, although my brothers disagree.)

The thing that gets me is that he's almost eighty years old, but this wasn't a case of an old man tottering down the stairs and falling because he's weak. I told him next time he should just bungie jump into shark infested waters and at least get a bit of a thrill out of it. He does not find me funny, I might add. I do, however.

[rleyser]

::pins on medal::

Your poor dad! What a sucky way to spend Christmas!

Glad he's going to be okay!

[iidoru]

Thanks! He's started physio already and apparently he could walk on his leg already if it weren't for the pain. He was given morphine, which really freaked me out, but I've been told that's normal. (I always kind of thought that morphine was for easing the pain of dying patients.) He's got a trip planned for Germany in the spring, and that's a great motivator.

I must say, his bravery humbled me. I'd be moaning and whining, but he's very cheerful and stoic.

[rleyser]

Nah, Morphine is used for lots of things. My mom had it for a couple of days after she had her hip replaced.

Holy crap!

[kuzibah]

You definitely do deserve a medal. Your poor dad!

I'm glad to hear he will be okay. And next time, he should hire a boy from the neighborhood to do that. That way, if there's a fall off the roof, it's okay because it's not a relative.

But seriously, holy crap!

Re: Holy crap!

[iidoru]

"That way, if there's a fall off the roof, it's okay because it's not a relative."

ExACTly.

B was invited for Christmas dinner and when I told him what happened, he offered to clear the garage roof when he got there. I told him I'd help, and his response? "Well, yeah! You'll hold the freaking ladder." Hee.

However, my mother REFUSED to let us up there.

I know a lot of people think it's really unsafe for an elderly man to do the more strenous chores around his home, but my dad is in great shape and has been doing it for ages. He didn't fall because he's old, he fell because he's stupid.

I also know that my parents are really independant people, and that if my father can't take care of the house, they might think they have to move, and they don't want to. Nor should they have to. But yeah, they're going to hire someone to take care of the roof.

Re: Holy crap!

[kuzibah]

See, this is really just about a change in perspective for your dad. Hiring a boy from the neighborhood to do work around the house doesn't necessarily mean, "too old to take care of it myself." It can also mean:

"Don't want to do it myself."
"Have reached a position in life where I don't have to work that hard any more."
"He's a nice boy, and I want to help him out by throwing a few odd jobs his way."

If I didn't have Grim, our next door neighbor's boy would have a fairly steady income from me for mowing the grass, raking leaves, and shoveling snow.

Re: Holy crap!

[iidoru]

Well, they're hiring someone now. Hee. They also have to hire someone to help my dad while he recuperates. Cause my mom is just a little thing and can't lift him up or anything. He seemed cheerfully resigned to it.

My parents aren't "I don't have to work that hard anymore" kind of people, though. My dad retired at 71, went back to school, got a Bachelor's degree in theology, and when he couldn't find work in his new field, went back to get his Master's. (He already had a law degree, an accounting degree, and a doctorate in Computer Science.) My mom is 78 and has yet to retire. She also volunteers for two non-profit organisations, and just stopped participating in an adult literacy program. I'm tired just thinking about it.

(I haven't bought a house because I like having a landlord who is obligated to fix things for me. "My tap is leaking!" "There is snow on my balcony!" "I think there's a mouse in my wall!")

Re: Oh, dear. Glad to hear he's alive.

[iidoru]

He didn't forbid us to do it, he just went out and did it himself. (My mom forbid us to do it after he was taken to the hospital.)

His shoulder is fine now. They did an MRI and it's all good. It's still sore and immobilized and obviously he has trouble doing physio for his leg what with the sling, but the doctor said his arm will make a full recovery.

I know it sounds crazy that he's still climbing up on the roof at eighty, but he's in great shape. Just a few years ago, he swam in the World Championships. He eats well and exercises and has always taken care of himself. Of course, now, he'll have to be careful, but he's been climbing on the roof for years without incident. Hee.

[swersfreakshow]

Thank goodness he's alright, and thank goodness you were on the ball. What a Christmas!

[iidoru]

Thank you! Seeing him lying there was so scary. He's my dad, you know? The big strong man who takes care of me, not the other way around.