Morning after

There’s got to be a morning after.
That song is going through my head after, The Ordeal Of The AC Filters.
I love my vaulted ceilings…except when I have to get up there.
My AC filters are up so high on the ceiling, they don’t even get dirty. I check them every year and they’re usually ok.
This year I decided to change them no matter what.
But, it is dangerous! I always find an excuse to put it off.
Yesterday the excuses ran out. Am I a man or a mouse? I put down the cheese and got my new filters.
My ladder is one of those adjustable ones that opens out to various heights and shapes. I keep it in the A frame configuration and raise the height. That keeps it stable.
But my balance is not as good as it once was, and I cannot reach above my head very well because of the pacemaker, and I have to be careful of cuts because of the blood thinners.
I put the ladder in place, and looked at it…It was high,
But the job had to be done. So I climbed the ladder.
I was way up and could not reach the doors? There were only two steps left. I wondered if I opened it all the way?
I climbed down and checked. I was hoping for another hole. There was none. OMG! It was all the way out! I would have to go up another step, leaving me with no support. My balance is a bit flaky, the ladder was high, and if I fly, I die!
Literally…If I fall I’ll be dead.
I seem to have “dumb courage.” I have courage, but it’s dumb. But the job had to be done.
I climbed back up the ladder. I felt stable. I tried to reach the door. I wasn’t even close. I had to go up another rung.
I went up another and did not feel stable. There was nothing to hold onto. I had to balance myself, but felt dizzy.
Reaching above my head was difficult but I managed to reach the door latch. I unlatched it. It came down. I had something to hold onto.
I took out the filter and it was dirty enough to change. I went back down the ladder with it, and tossed it in the Garbage’.
I found that my courage was not only dumb, but stupid. I reasoned with myself that I could do oncemore what I did before.
I heard a slishing noise and looked up.
There were two filters with two doors. The door was open to the first, which was lower than the second because the ceiling was slanted. I had wondered how I would ever reach the second door?
The problem was moot because the second filter had slide down into the position vacated by the first.
BRAVO! That changed everything!
I went up, took the second filter away, and returned with two new ones.
I went up, slid the second filter, which was now the first, into position, then positioned the first, which was now the second, and the job was done after latching the latches, which was difficult, because of the high reach.
A Big Sigh of Rolaids, (Relief) swept over me.
“I need a beer after this!”
I slowly went down the ladder.
Just as my foot hit the floor, BUZZZZZZZ!
“What the hell was that?”
It was like I stepped on a button.
I almost fell back up the ladder.
What did I do now? What could I have done?
It was the most loud obnoxious BUZZ I ever heard.
It seemed to be coming from the kitchen? I went there and saw it was my phone. There was an Amber Alert coming from Utah.
Another sigh of Rolaids.
Then I saw the blood on my leg.
It was all over the place.
I couldn’t reach it to wipe it clean.
It looked like it stopped.
I was afraid to take a shower and start it up again.
I took a shower this morning and it looks a lot better.
I couldn’t figure out how I did it?
Then I realized I probably leaned against the top step of the ladder.
In hindsight I probably should not have worn shorts.
The trouble with hindsight is it always happens After you have done what it tells you not to do.
So now I’m doing fine. Everything is done except changing the garage door opener, which I’m going to put off for a few days…or weeks?

Stay Safe
By George