Several friends and readers have noticed that my photos and articles have tapered off dramatically in recent weeks and also I have a cast on my left wrist and hand.

The cast covers multiple broken bones suffered in a freak accident at the bottom of our driveway when my right leg collapsed as I tried to get out of the car and I fell face first onto the grass and rocks along side.

I tried to break my fall with my left hand, but fractured nine bones in three fingers, hand and wrist.

Rocks along the side of the driveway left scapes on my face, forehead, nose and took out a chunk of skin and bone just below the left knee. I pulled my self back into the car, drove gingerly up the driveway and into the garage, hobbled into the house, where wife Amy cleaned the wounds and kept me awake to check for concussion then let me sleep.

I figured I had sprained my hand and did not go to the doctor until three day after swelling and discoloration increased and he sent me to Carilion New River Valley, where x-rays found the multiple fractures.

They put thr hand and wrist into a splint and sent me to Carilion Orthopedics in Roanoke where more scan found more fractures and put the wrist and hand into a temporary cast to let the swelling subside for a week before a more permanent one. It will be replaced again next week as part of a treatment program.

“Your medical records show a lot of broken bones over the years,” said one of the orthopedists. “Are you accident prone?”

“Probably more of an rambunctious life,” I said. “My granddaddy once said that ‘if you are not living on the edge, you ar taking up too much room in life.’ In this case, I fought the yard and the yard won.”