The Gift That Keeps on Giving

[Belinda Barfield]

I gave my SO a harmonica for Christmas, along with a "teach yourself" CD and book. I thought his ability to play might come in handy when they find my body under the new cement pond in the backyard. (just kidding, we don't have a backyard). He has been practicing as much as his tender lips will allow . . . apparently you have to toughen up a bit to play well.

The corner of the upper bar in our kitchen, just as you walk in the door, is a catchall for things like incoming mail, outgoing mail, various and sundry things that need to be dropped off hither and yon . . . and apparently a harmonica. Last night while cooking dinner I picked up the day's mail to sort out all the junk and get to the good stuff - namely my latest issue of Discover magazine. Not realizing that the harmonica was under the pile of mail I somehow knocked the harmonica off the counter. It culimnated its fall on my second toe, right at the base of the nail. After uttering several newly minted, cojoined adjectives and nouns, and doing a fairly decent demonstration of the left foot only portion of the hokey-pokey, the pain subsided to a dull throb.

My SO calls from the sunroom "What happened?"

I replied, "Your harmonica fell off of the counter onto my toe."

His response? "Really? Is it dented?"

Some of you may know that I have resolved this year to have a more positive outlook. While he could have been asking about my toe, I'm fairly positive he was asking about the harmonica!

I considered going to the ER as I'm fairly sure there is a New Year pool ongoing. You know, First Toe Broken by Husband Who Agreed to Take Ballroom Dance Lessions, First Toe Broken by a Dropped Jar of Pickles, First Toe Broken by a Falling Harmonica . . . I decided the injury wasn't that bad, but I'm guessing the lady on the treadmill next to me today at the gym will be wondering why I'm doing the step-hobble routine. I think I'll tell her I saw it being promoted by Billy Mayes and the SHAMWOW guy as a sure-fire way to get in shape. :rolleyes:

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Belinda,

It's nice to know you think enough of your SO to not give him the small harmonica that used to come in the Cracker Jack box.:rolleyes:

[Jim Becker]

I'm sorry to be laughing while you're there hopping around in pain, but... ROFLOL!!!! Good choice with Billy Mays, but since he's hawking insurance now, too, he may be hard to engage...

[Belinda Barfield]

Belinda,

It's nice to know you think enough of your SO to not give him the small harmonica that used to come in the Cracker Jack box.:rolleyes:

You have no idea how many boxes of Craker Jacks I had to go through before I gave up! ;)

In all seriousness, my SO lost a good friend in November. He was one of the great blues harp players (part of my education after meeting my SO - if you play the blues you play a harp, not a harmonic). Although my SO will never play as well as his friend, I thought playing would be a way for him to remember the good times they had. So far my SO plays a mean, wailing Jingle Bells!

[Doug Shepard]

Look on the bright side. You could have given him a Hammond B3 organ. Your toe would fer sure have a dent from that:D

[David G Baker]

I learned a few new words that I am sure would make a sailor blush when a ten inch piece of 2x4 fell off an old cabinet that I have stored between our two vehicles and a sharp corner of the 2x4 landed on the area just below the big toe nail of my SO's foot. Luckily I was on the other side of the car when it happened or I would be buried under the concrete in the back yard that Belinda doesn't have. I still hear about it on occasion. The black, blue and purple are starting to fade, on her foot not my face. :D

[Belinda Barfield]

Look on the bright side. You could have given him a Hammond B3 organ. Your toe would fer sure have a dent from that:D

LOL . . . I've actually stubbed my toe on a Hammond B3 before, and you are absolutely right, it will leave a dent in your toe for sure! Interestingly, I've been thinking about getting a piano for a couple of years now. I've played a Hammond B3 once, many years ago. Gregg Allman lives nearby in Richmond Hill. Maybe I'll just call him up and ask him if I can drop by and play for a while! :D

[Ted Calver]

Belinda,
I'll bet some Mighty Putty would feel real good on that toe right now....:)

[Belinda Barfield]

Belinda,
I'll bet some Mighty Putty would feel real good on that toe right now....:)

I swear Ted, if I thought it would have helped I would have been on the Mighty Putty hotline and ordered a sheetrock mud bucket full of the stuff!

Maybe I'm just a weakling but that one toe hurt worse last night than my foot hurt when I broke it several years ago. And I broke my foot by dropping a significant weight of granite on it, but that is a story for another thread.

The tender concern expressed by my SO was so heartwarming. He scooped up his harmonica and went in search of a safe place so the mean old woman wouldn't knock it onto the floor again.

[Brian Effinger]

The tender concern expressed by my SO was so heartwarming. He scooped up his harmonica and went in search of a safe place so the mean old woman wouldn't knock it onto the floor again.

Bwaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahaha :D :D :D :D

This is a great thread. You are one funny lady, Belinda. :)

[Kevin Arceneaux]

:)

A few years ago, I had crashed on the couch and my SO thought she would bath the dog in the front bathroom. There were a couple of problems:

1. Springy really hated that bathroom, she much preferred the hose outside (never did figure that one out),
2. My SO forgot to close the door to the bathroom, and
3. the dog was quick.

Springy escaped from the bathroom all suds up. As she hit the linoleum, she fell, sliding across it. I woke up just in time to see the LOML come flying into the kitchen to try and catch Springy. Well, when she hit the soaped up linoleum, she tried to stop and lost it. It was like a cartoon, the feet went up over her head and she landed flat on her back. I was really concerned, but I had tears running down my face and it was hard to get her to understand that.

[Brian Effinger]

It was like a cartoon, the feet went up over her head and she landed flat on her back. I was really concerned, but I had tears running down my face and it was hard to get her to understand that.
Yeah, wives have a hard time understanding that sort of thing. ;):p:D

[Belinda Barfield]

Yeah, wives have a hard time understanding that sort of thing. ;):p:D

Sounds like there's a story behind that Brian. One that's just waiting to be told.

[Frank Townend]

Sorry to hear of your injury Belinda; but really glad the harmonica wasn't damaged.

[Belinda Barfield]

Sorry to hear of your injury Belinda; but really glad the harmonica wasn't damaged.

Thank you for your sympathy Frank. It's all better now. The toe, the jury is still out on the harmonica. I may have knocked it out of tune. ;)

[Frank Townend]

I may have knocked it out of tune. ;)

My pleasure. While there are methods to fix it remember, You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tune a Fish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Can_Tune_A_Piano_But_You_Can%27t_Tuna_Fish).

[Belinda Barfield]

My pleasure. While there are methods to fix it remember, You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tune a Fish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Can_Tune_A_Piano_But_You_Can%27t_Tuna_Fish).

Sound advice, good music. Come to think of it, I very well may have been doing the Unidentified Flying Tuna Trot, rather than the Hokey-Pokey. Too bad there are no eye witnesses. :D

[glenn bradley]

Belinda, you have a rare sense of humor that brings a smile to my face. Your SO is a lucky man. It brings a tear to my eye to imagine the mournful, echoing sound of Jingle Bells flowing through his cell block after lights out. Hopefully it wasn't the large Chromonica model that hit your toe, those things are heavy!

[Belinda Barfield]

Belinda, you have a rare sense of humor that brings a smile to my face. Your SO is a lucky man. It brings a tear to my eye to imagine the mournful, echoing sound of Jingle Bells flowing through his cell block after lights out. Hopefully it wasn't the large Chromonica model that hit your toe, those things are heavy!

Thanks Glenn, that means a lot to me.:) I have been told that my sense of humor is bizarre, strange, and enchanting (I personally like that one). The same gentleman who found my sense of humor enchanting, also found me charming . . . but that was a a long time ago, when I was just out of charm school, and because my husband at the time really needed me to make a good impression - you get the picture. :D I don't try that hard any more.

LOL . . . I'm encouraging him to learn something a little more appropriate to cell block B, but for some reason Jingle Bells is the first song in the book and we can't quite get past the "jingle all the way" portion. There's a note there that just isn't getting hit. He does have determination though! He might argue that he is a lucky man, otherwise he wouldn't be digging that cement pond.:p As he says, "I always love you, but I don't like you right now." And that's okay. After all, I think it's impossible to always be "in like". If any of you have the secret to that, please share!

[Brian Effinger]

Sounds like there's a story behind that Brian. One that's just waiting to be told.
There's no one story, and have I learned to "zip the lip" when it comes to these stories - I'll live longer ;)

[Frank Townend]

... I have been told that my sense of humor is bizarre, strange, and enchanting (I personally like that one)...

You are an irregular blonde Dave Barry. (Blonde irregular Dave Barry didn't sound right.)
But all seriousness aside, do be on the mend.