# Always need a backup ;)



## peakbagger (Nov 16, 2021)

My winter preps were done a few weeks ago. 

Bulkhead full of wood and plenty fo 2 year plus wood in the piles  - Check

Backup heating oil in the tank (bought some cheap last summer) - Check

Recent vintage snowblower with key spares since the plow guy retired - Check 

Plenty of surplus net metered electric power to run the mini split - Check 

Plan to need my ankle reconstructed and on crutches  for minimum 8 weeks - Not Check

Last Saturday was a nice day. I needed some exercise so decided to climb the local ski slope, Wildcat Mtn in NH. Its 4,000 footer and about a 2000 foot vertical hike.  It started out cool inthe AM but I ended up in shorts and a T- shirt. The route follows the maintenance road to the summit. While heading up a couple of ski patrol folks were heading up in a ATV to the summit. I made it up to the top and saw they were doing prep work for the hoped for opening in few weeks (once they get some natural snwo and colder temps they will crank the snow guns on)  I  got some good views of the east side of Mt Washington and the surrounding mountains. I headed down and was walking in the grass down the ski  slope. No ice or snow at the time but a bit wet under the grass. About 20 minutes down from the summit I stepped wrong and landed on the ground in quite a bit of pain. I look down and my foot is rotated 90 degrees to the right vertically and not lined up with my leg. I gear up to stay warm and call 911. After some confusion with dispatchers I get NH Fish and Game on the line and am talking to one of the celebrities on North Woods Law. Officer Lucas. I tell him where I am and he asks if he can drive a pickup truck up the maintenance road, I was around 1800 feet vertically up from the base.  I tell him about the ski patrol and he tells me he will see what he can do. In about 10 minutes a few hikers come by and I tell them my problem and the say the ATV is right behind them. Turns out the ski patrollers are also EMTs with the local ambulance squads. They do the assessment and immobilize my ankle which had to be creative as it was quite twisted. Then its an interesting climb onto the ATV and a bumpy 20 minute ride down the mountain and on to an ambulance and then to the ER.  The ski patrollers could not give me painkillers but they did help me take a few advil from my pack. Surprising how well  adrenalin and a few Advil work that was th only painkiller I had all day until I got home.  The ER doc walks in looks at my foot and his eyes get wide. He asks how long its been and priority one is to get the foot back in place. He decides to knock me out as he said given my size and what he had to do he didnt think he and the nurses could restrain me as it really was going to hurt. Its the same shot and dose as a colonoscopy so 20 minutes later I am awake with a big splint arrangement on. They take a X-Ray and the end of two bones are broken. So  now its wait around home limited to one floor (the boiler is in the basement) waiting for an Ortho surgeon. Looks like next week for the surgery. 

So its good I had backup plan. I have a brother who is building a house on a 10 year plan nearby so he will be staying with me as needed for support. Its good practice for him as he has never burnt wood and his future driveway is far worse so he can see how my track drive blower works.


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## Gearhead660 (Nov 16, 2021)

Good to hear you are prepared.  Sorry to hear about the injury.  Hope you have a speedy recovery!


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## rottiman (Nov 16, 2021)

Good luck on your recovery.  Yup........always be prepared, you never know.


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## mcdougy (Nov 17, 2021)

Crummy deal, sounds as if you have done all you can to be ready. Good work.


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## EbS-P (Nov 17, 2021)

Get one of the kneel on scooters if your docs agree.  They may look silly for an ankle but just to wiz around even your one floor they are just better. Bet you could even stud the tires if you wanted too

Our second oldest broke his ankle in kindergarten.  Didn’t even bother with crutches straight to scatter on day 3 or 4.  By week 2 he was just as fast as he was on two feet.  Not at all helpful with stairs but I’d take a that 4 wheeled scooter over crutches in the slush and snow anytime.  

Hoping for a speedy recovery. 

Evan.


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## clancey (Nov 18, 2021)

So sorry Peak that "that happened"---what a trip---at least the doc knocked you out and got it ready for the next doctor project--so sorry and so glad you have your brother there with you until you decide on the next move of action and can be on your own again..For a "outdoors person" who is a worker this will be a very different adventure for you and I bet it was a pretty day too...Saying prayers peakbagger for you and the holidays are coming but by that time you will be well on your way with the healing process and things will become routene..Hang in there forest friend and things each day will get brighter...Take plenty of calcium and vitamin D and stay hydrated..keep calm and eat and read a lot...get well soon...old clancey


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## fbelec (Nov 24, 2021)

they had you in mind when they come out with the saying go big or go home.  best of luck get well soon. if it's going to be longer than you expected look into renting out one of those chair lifts for the staircase.


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## all night moe (Nov 24, 2021)

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. At least you've taken time to "be prepared," although I don't think that's what you had on the mind.
things always seem to work themselves out. Your brother staying with you is one of them. At the least, this has happened now and not while you were trying to get prepared for this winter's season.

Keep us posted on your updates.


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## peakbagger (Nov 24, 2021)

Well my boiler training had some surprises resulting in a safety letting off that I have never tested. My Burnham like other wood boilers of the era had two pressure relief valves, one calibrated slightly lower than the main one. Its output is a pipe to the firebox. Due to combination of things he managed to lift that relief and was surprised to see water/vapor spraying out of the firebox and ash door. He was stressed out and I was smelling smoke so I made it down the stairs on my crutches and figured out what was going on.  Looks like no harm and he understands the operation better.  The minisplit is running today so we will give it try again this evening. 

 I have some folks coming this weekend who want to help so I will have them fill up my bulkhead from my woodpile. to save that hassle later on.


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## all night moe (Nov 24, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> Well my boiler training had some surprises resulting in a safety letting off that I have never tested. My Burnham like other wood boilers of the era had two pressure relief valves, one calibrated slightly lower than the main one. Its output is a pipe to the firebox. Due to combination of things he managed to lift that relief and was surprised to see water/vapor spraying out of the firebox and ash door. He was stressed out and I was smelling smoke so I made it down the stairs on my crutches and figured out what was going on.  Looks like no harm and he understands the operation better.  The minisplit is running today so we will give it try again this evening.
> 
> I have some folks coming this weekend who want to help so I will have them fill up my bulkhead from my woodpile. to save that hassle later on.


Good to here all is moving along fine ...... but how are you doing?


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## peakbagger (Nov 24, 2021)

Waiting until Monday to have the ankle rebuilt. They could not fix it right away due to swelling so they had to wait until the swelling goes down to operate. If they wait too long the bones try to start healing on themselves in the wrong place. One them is floating around not attached so not sure what happens to it.  

It sucks losing my independence.


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## all night moe (Nov 24, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> Waiting until Monday to have the ankle rebuilt. They could not fix it right away due to swelling so they had to wait until the swelling goes down to operate. If they wait too long the bones try to start healing on themselves in the wrong place. One them is floating around not attached so not sure what happens to it.
> 
> It sucks losing my independence.


I am sorry to hear this.
And yes, loosing the ability to fend for one's self really does suck.
Pay attention to your nutrition for a speedy recovery.


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## peakbagger (Nov 27, 2021)

Well one step towards a bit of independence. I ordered up a knee crutch, (IWALK3). Took me a bit to assemble and adjust but I was walking around in about 10 minutes (far shorter than the assembly and adjustment. Beats crutches and in theory I can do stairs. It takes a lot of load off my good foot when standing. My surgery is on Monday so I figured I would try it out sooner than later. 

Now I need to rig up some traction for the foot pad. I have a selection of traction aids for hiking including a broken pair so I expect I can get something rigged up. Now I have to rig up a sock for my splint so my toes do not get cold.  

Once I get my bulkhead refilled, I should be back in the wood boiler business. I even think I may be able to use my snowblower and my stair climber to stay in shape.


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## stoveliker (Nov 27, 2021)

see if you have an OT (Occupational therapist) you can tap into - video call or personal. They are the ones with the professional expertise to "rig stuff up" to make you able to take care of yourself while you have limitations. (Splints, traction, safety etc.)


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## peakbagger (Nov 27, 2021)

Once the surgery gets done I will be pushing for PT  as soon as possible.


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## stoveliker (Nov 27, 2021)

Yes PT is good. They help you get your body back to specs. OTs help you function even when your body is not up to specs (yet, or, I worst case, always).


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## fbelec (Nov 28, 2021)

good luck monday peak


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## SpaceBus (Nov 28, 2021)

I missed this thread when it was new. Sorry to hear about your injury, but I do know what it feels like to lose independence, even if temporary. I hope your surgery goes well and you can see OT/PT and begin getting back to normal.


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## Solarguy3500 (Nov 28, 2021)

Just seeing this thread now.

Sorry to hear about your injury. Good luck tomorrow, and best wishes for a speedy recovery.


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## clancey (Nov 29, 2021)

Tomorrow when you wake up from surgery you will be on your way to recovery and keep in mind they can do wonderful things now a days and your ankle might have pins or whatever but it will be in normal position and healing as well...Take you vitamins and make sure you get some sunshine and eat good too...You will figure it all out and in no time you will be optimistic about the future with walking and my friend once told me --she had major surgery--and suffered a bit--but one day in time she was all better and headed in the right direction and she knew she was better...Bless you and best wishes tomorrow and Christmas is coming and you will be splinting around just wonderful and keep this in mind...Good Luck tomorrow...clancey


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## firefighterjake (Dec 1, 2021)

Good luck today . . . speedy recovery wishes.


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## peakbagger (Dec 1, 2021)

Well the good news is they got the fix in and didnt have to do some temporary repairs, so supposedly in 6 weeks I graduate to some form of mobility.  The hardware is a seven inch long plate on one side of the fibula (thats the snall leg bone) with 7 screws and 2 screws on the other side of the tibia (the big bone). Lots of sutures rubbing but not a lot of pain now, but the sutures will be irritating for 2 weeks before they come out. It was supposed to be day surgery but I got admitted overnight as one of the nerve blocks didnt work so I was pumped full of lots of pain meds from noon to 6 Pm until something worked. I think the staff  in the wards are burned out from Covid and appreciate someone who isnt dealing with Covid.


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## stoveliker (Dec 1, 2021)

Well, don't go to a place with metal detectors ..
Hope the recovery will go smoothly, even if not fast.

Yes, staff is quite burned out. Whenever there is no Covid surge in hospitals, there is a big backlog of postponed elective surgeries. So it's been busy for quite a long time now.


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## begreen (Dec 2, 2021)

Sounds like quite a major surgery. I hope the operation went well and the healing is quick.


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## peakbagger (Dec 14, 2021)

Update Two weeks from hardware installation. I got my sutures out today and everything looked right. I also got swapped to a removable walking cast. Its far more comfortable but no weight bearing for 4 weeks until the next X-ray and appointment. I hope I can switch to a knee crutch which will up my mobility.  I got a CD of my latest Xrays, looks like they raided the hardware store


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## fbelec (Dec 15, 2021)

glad to hear everything is looking up


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## peakbagger (Dec 19, 2021)

Well another step forward today, I figured out how to snowblow the driveway without crutches. I got a Knee Crutch awhile back (looks like a peg leg) but wanted to wait until the sutures were out and in a walking cast. Its one of these, https://iwalk-free.com/ I have used it around the house but my prior wrap job around my leg was too thick and put a lot of pressure on my knee. The new walking cast is less bad with the knee crutch.

So with 4" of snow on driveway I gave it a shot. The prep was the hardest. I had to cut up an old fleece to cover the foot of my walking cast as my toes are open to the air. In order to have traction I retrofitted a hiking microspike to the end of the peg leg. I also wore a microspike on my good foot. Great traction except on the tile in my mudroom. So I had to use my crutches to get down my stairs and into my garage and then put on the knee crutch and the spikes. From there I started the snowblower and gave it a try with a crutch stashed in front of me just in case. The actual snowblowing was slow to begin with. The gait wit a peg leg is bit odd but got used to it. My new track drive Honda has track clutches so turning is lot less hassle then with my prior one. Backing up is bit more of challenge but with some planning I got that down.  The biggest hassle was since I was going slow was I got cold fingers.

Once I finished It was reverse of the prep. It was definite work out but I got it done. Not something I really wanted to do but good to see that my preplanning worked out.

Next project is figuring out how to drive my car, left foot braking and with hand throttle.


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## all night moe (Dec 19, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> Well another step forward today, I figured out how to snowblow the driveway without crutches. I got a Knee Crutch awhile back (looks like a peg leg) but wanted to wait until the sutures were out and in a walking cast. Its one of these, https://iwalk-free.com/ I have used it around the house but my prior wrap job around my leg was too thick and put a lot of pressure on my knee. The new walking cast is less bad with the knee crutch.
> 
> So with 4" of snow on driveway I gave it a shot. The prep was the hardest. I had to cut up an old fleece to cover the foot of my walking cast as my toes are open to the air. In order to have traction I retrofitted a hiking microspike to the end of the peg leg. I also wore a microspike on my good foot. Great traction except on the tile in my mudroom. So I had to use my crutches to get down my stairs and into my garage and then put on the knee crutch and the spikes. From there I started the snowblower and gave it a try with a crutch stashed in front of me just in case. The actual snowblowing was slow to begin with. The gait wit a peg leg is bit odd but got used to it. My new track drive Honda has track clutches so turning is lot less hassle then with my prior one. Backing up is bit more of challenge but with some planning I got that down.  The biggest hassle was since I was going slow was I got cold fingers.
> 
> ...


An ole saying from a friend of mine. 
"Improvise, adapt, and survive."
You are doing well.
''Go easy'' .....from another friend that passed years back.


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## fbelec (Dec 20, 2021)

great job PB. using a snowblower sometimes is not easy


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## peakbagger (Dec 20, 2021)

It helps that this Honda is as automatic as they come. Normally I would not have bought something that fancy but in order to get the hydrostatic track drive, Honda only has one option, electric start. I didnt get the electric start as it doesnt really need one (two pulls after sitting 6 months. So power chute rotation, power chute up and down, track clutches for turning, and an easy way to set the scraping height and release it. Expensive but at $50 a plow from my old plow guy who retired it will pay for itself in about 2 seasons, although I would not mind having a plow guy if I could find one for about 5 more weeks


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## fbelec (Dec 21, 2021)

all you need now is a person to use it in your driveway. very nice,  i got a ariens 24 inch with a huge secondary thrower and singletrack drive and i hate it. new second season


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## semipro (Dec 21, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> I got a Knee Crutch awhile back (looks like a peg leg) but wanted to wait until the sutures were out and in a walking cast. Its one of these, https://iwalk-free.com/ I have used it around the house but my prior wrap job around my leg was too thick and put a lot of pressure on my knee. The new walking cast is less bad with the knee crutch.


In one of my latest rants to my wife after she had foot surgery, I was describing such a device and not understanding why they weren't more used as compared to crutches, scooters, etc.  
I'm glad to know they're available cause I have no doubt I'll face challenges similar to yours eventually.


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## peakbagger (Dec 21, 2021)

semipro said:


> In one of my latest rants to my wife after she had foot surgery, I was describing such a device and not understanding why they weren't more used as compared to crutches, scooters, etc.
> I'm glad to know they're available cause I have no doubt I'll face challenges similar to yours eventually.


The knee scooter has its place and I am glad a friend dropped one by. I had a friend give me a ride to Walmart the other day and we brought the knee scooter. He had a tough time keeping up with me. I dont have a basket on mine so he followed with a shopping cart. Far faster and lot more maneuverable and more sanitary than the electric carts they have for public use.  I am at standing height so I can get to the top shelf. 

The knee crutch has its place as IMO its lot safer on stairs and is hands free. My guess is when I get the hardware removed and dont need cast it may be my go to device to use.  If I didnt have the huge walking crutch in the way I would use the knee crutch more. 

I just need to get a parrot, eye patch and bandanna and work on my "argh"


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## NorMi (Dec 21, 2021)

When my grandad broke his hip he made a skate platform for his self propelled mower similar to this: 



Necessity being the mother of invention and all that! Good to hear the injury is not keeping you down, I think staying active is some of the best medicine you can get 👍


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## peakbagger (Dec 21, 2021)

I was looking at hooking the knee scooter to the snowblower, but I need to back up on occasion and figured it would get complicated.


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## NorMi (Dec 21, 2021)

My grandad's was a little different, it hooked to the mower in two locations and that was the up/down pivot, and it had a single trailing pneumatic  swivel caster wheel, if the blower will do the reversing


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## semipro (Dec 21, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> I just need to get a parrot, eye patch and bandanna and work on my "argh"


Aye, and some grog!


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## peakbagger (Dec 30, 2021)

Well, yesterday was warm out (a bit too warm) so I raided the woodshed and filled my bulkhead. I moved about 1/3 of a cord with the knee crutch. It really likes flat and level since unlike a normal leg it does not compensate very well for changes in elevation. There was 4 to 6" of snow along my path from the wood shed to the bulkhead.

I do not dare run my snowblower down this path until the crust firms up on the ground. Even if I wanted to use the snowblower, I managed to snap a shear pin on the blower wheel. This is the first snowblower I have owned that had a shear pin on the blower wheel along with the auger. I had ordered a service manual and parts manual so it was pretty easy to figure out what I needed. Usually Honda standardizes things but in this case the auger shear bolts are smaller. I had a handful of them but no blower pins. The electric start version of this snowblower does not have a shear pin, its got some sort of electronic devices that stops the engine instead of shear pin. So I am waiting for an express delivery of a blower shear pin.  When I get it, getting it in place with the knee cast on will be interesting.

So back to the wood move, I usually keep the wood shed for later in the winter but decided it was time to raid it while I am on the knee crutch. I use a wheelbarrow. Things did pretty well but with the warm temps my spikes on the knee crutch pad and my boot would build up with snow on occasion. Once I noticed it I would need to stop and knock off the "snowballs". Once I got a path tromped out it went pretty well but it was a workout. No doubt a mix of lack of conditioning by being off my feet for 10 weeks and the extra work with the knee crutch.  Its supposed to be cold next week but my bulkhead holds 3 or 4 weeks. I hope to be somewhat more mobile by the next time its empty.  Its 2 weeks and counting to my next doctors appointment and I hope I will get cleared to start putting weight on it. The surgery scars are looking good and the claim is that getting the surgery scars healed takes precedence over the bones.

Luckily, the snow so far has been minimal. Enough to clean up but nothing heavy.


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## begreen (Jan 2, 2022)

I'm glad that the weather has been with you Peak. May the good healing continue!


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## peakbagger (Jan 13, 2022)

Well, I am back on two legs exactly 2 months after the accident. Now six weeks of physical therapy to get the ankle working again. Still nice to be able to drive again and at least be able to hobble around.


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## semipro (Jan 13, 2022)

peakbagger said:


> Well, I am back on two legs exactly 2 months after the accident. Now six weeks of physical therapy to get the ankle working again. Still nice to be able to drive again and at least be able to hobble around.


Just in time for a big snow event.


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## velvetfoot (Jan 14, 2022)

peakbagger said:


> Still nice to be able to drive again


Do you have an automatic transmission?  I figured, since my knees are on their way out, and I'd probably need some new ones at some point, I'd buy automatic cars.  I always thought I could get by driving with my left foot even if it was a little flakey.  Even one arm, since no shifting required.  Maybe I should actually try that theory out.


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## peakbagger (Jan 14, 2022)

Up until this spring I had 4 standard transmissions in the house and no automatics. My new Rav 4 is an automatic (not offered with a standard) so I am in covered, it replaced a Forf Fiesta with a stick. The two Unimogs are parked for the winter, even if they were not, they are very high ground clearance and it will be a while before I can climb up into  either cab, My fourth stick is a Toyota LJ70 Diesel that is not yet road ready. 

I used to drive a stick for fuel economy and lack of complexity but the Rav4 Prime hybrid electric is inherently a nightmare if I ever need to work on it so the automatic is the least of my worries. It also has a fairly sophisticated radar cruise control with autobraking and lane centering so once I am over 30 MPH I can let it do a lot of the driving.  It gets 38 MPG highway once the battery is discharged so the automatic is not really a major liability.  Sadly I no longer have a so called Millennial anti theft system . Standards do not make a lot of sense with electric drive motors as the torque curve with an electric is linear. Plus auto stop start does not work well with a stick.


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## stoveliker (Jan 14, 2022)

peakbagger said:


> Up until this spring I had 4 standard transmissions in the house and no automatics. My new Rav 4 is an automatic (not offered with a standard) so I am in covered, it replaced a Forf Fiesta with a stick. The two Unimogs are parked for the winter, even if they were not, they are very high ground clearance and it will be a while before I can climb up into  either cab, My fourth stick is a Toyota LJ70 Diesel that is not yet road ready.
> 
> I used to drive a stick for fuel economy and lack of complexity but the Rav4 Prime hybrid electric is inherently a nightmare if I ever need to work on it so the automatic is the least of my worries. It also has a fairly sophisticated radar cruise control with autobraking and lane centering so once I am over 30 MPH I can let it do a lot of the driving.  It gets 38 MPG highway once the battery is discharged so the automatic is not really a major liability.  Sadly I no longer have a so called Millennial anti theft system . Standards do not make a lot of sense with electric drive motors as the torque curve with an electric is linear. Plus auto stop start does not work well with a stick.


lol. I have a 10 y/o Mazda 2 stick shift. No one ever going to steal that. 40 mpg on average though - b/c I drive like an old fart. Never more than 5 mph over the limit, and (more importantly) slower acceleration (despite the zoom zoom advertising back then by Mazda, and the capability to tear away nicely), and looking far ahead and adjusting my speed before the need of braking.

The hybrids will have less of a braking disadvantage, though acceleration will still have a big negative influence on the fuel efficiency.


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## fbelec (Jan 15, 2022)

stoveliker said:


> lol. I have a 10 y/o Mazda 2 stick shift. No one ever going to steal that. 40 mpg on average though - b/c I drive like an old fart. Never more than 5 mph over the limit, and (more importantly) slower acceleration (despite the zoom zoom advertising back then by Mazda, and the capability to tear away nicely), and looking far ahead and adjusting my speed before the need of braking.
> 
> The hybrids will have less of a braking disadvantage, though acceleration will still have a big negative influence on the fuel efficiency.


that is exactly how i drive. so i love big cars and have a 2001 mercury grand marquis, with that said i get 20 to 21 around town and towards the upper end of the 20's for highway. did the highway trip last from mass to lake george new york with the car loaded


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## fbelec (Jan 15, 2022)

i just looked at the Mercedes unimog that's way to high to get into.


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## begreen (Jan 18, 2022)

I know you're an overachiever, but a friend just sent me a copy of his 6-month x-ray after breaking his leg right below the knee. It is healing well, but one long screw snapped and is now broken. The doctor said this is from him using the leg too early and too hard.


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## peakbagger (Jan 18, 2022)

I followed the doctor orders and plan to see him until next week.  My biggest issues have been unintentional, late night trips to the bathroom are real easy to screw up as I am half awake. My soft tissues seem to be the big issue of late, its obvious that I need to rebuild a lot of muscle fiber. I am taking it relatively easy until PT starts.


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## SpaceBus (Jan 18, 2022)

fbelec said:


> that is exactly how i drive. so i love big cars and have a 2001 mercury grand marquis, with that said i get 20 to 21 around town and towards the upper end of the 20's for highway. did the highway trip last from mass to lake george new york with the car loaded


I like those Grand Marquis with the 32v DOCH engine. I forget what the trim level is called, but I think all of them were black. 

I'm pro manual transmission myself, but I know that our next purchase will be an electric or PHEV, so not really any choice there. Our daily driver is a 2013 500c Abarth with a five speed and my truck is a diesel ram six speed 4x4. I used to be a manual hubs kind of guy, but I'm glad my dodge has fancy automatic hubs and a manual transfer case lever. 


Glad to hear you are taking it easy, Peakbagger. I hope you have an easy recovery so you can climb back into those 'Mogs.


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## begreen (Jan 23, 2022)

peakbagger said:


> I am taking it relatively easy until PT starts.


Good to hear, though relatively is still probably twice as active as I am.


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## peakbagger (Jan 23, 2022)

Well the PT has started. I have homework of 4 rounds a day. I had to ramp up my Advils as if I do all four rounds my ankle starts swelling half way through the day. I also got the go head to get my exercise bike ready to go. It will let me get some aerobic exercise.


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## peakbagger (Jan 26, 2022)

I got to hop skip and jump over blocks and wire gates yesterday, reminded me of an agility course for small dogs . I also got to stand and balance on unstable objects plus walked backwards on a treadmill. I could do all the tasks but felt it afterwards. Swelling is a big issue at this point.  Walking flat and level is not bad but walking in uneven snow is definitely challenging. Nevertheless, I moved in another load of wood to my bulkhead the day prior to therapy. My exercise bike is reminding me that I havent been doing aerobic activity lately, I am sucking wind way too early but at least its a start.  5 more weeks of therapy. Not sure when I can head out and drop some trees at the wood lot. I need a bit more snowpack anyhow so maybe I will get some snow from the storm this weekend. I like about 2 feet plus of snow on the ground before I can buck up the trees without tagging the ground or rocks.  I expect my official therapy will be over before the snow pack is gone and I can do some snowshoe and chainsaw therapy.


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## peakbagger (Feb 15, 2022)

3 months from when I broke my ankle, I "graduated" from physical therapy today. That means no more clinic sessions but plenty of "homework". I have full range of motion but the ankle is definitely nowhere near 100%. It may not be until at least some hardware gets removed as any pressure on my inner ankle for an extended period causes swelling. I have a set of X-rays next week and then get to see how long I have to wait to get the screws out on at least one side. I have written off winter hiking but still hope to be able to go drop a years worth of trees to start the firewood process again. Not sure if they will get bucked but it will be a start.


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## clancey (Feb 15, 2022)

Its rough going and I hope you get the hardware out soon if you can do this...keeping you in my prayers and you will be just fine its just a matter of time...and light exercise...clancey


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## peakbagger (Feb 27, 2022)

Just under 3 &1/2 months, 4 days after the ortho doc signed off on my bones being healed, I got the chainsaw out and dropped a few trees at my woodlot. A tad bit windy and my chain needed more than a touch up, but I finally got a start on my firewood for two years from now, The ankle is definitely not 100%, As well as the broken bones I dislocated the foot so all those soft tissues need to get back to 100% and they take longer than bone. Nevertheless, at this point its up to me to push what I can and cannot do.  Unless I screw it up, the next follow up is in 6 months to talk hardware removal.

The bummer is I normally drop my trees with a good snow pack so I can buck them on top of the snow to keep the blade from hitting the ground. We had an early thaw so the snow pack is definitely sketchy.

It is going to take a few more days of cutting before  I have enough on the ground. Splitting is another story but it normally gets done in the spring once I the road bans are off.

Next challenge is start hiking again. First destination is below. Its up behind my woodlot.


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## SpaceBus (Feb 27, 2022)

Connective tissue damage is the worst, there is almost no blood circulation in those tissues. I'm impressed at your determination and what you are capable of so soon after surgery!


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## begreen (Feb 27, 2022)

It's good to hear that you are on the mend. Go slow and steady with the healing for a lasting recovery. This year is bound to be different. That's ok. Hire some help if need be. If you go hiking, bring along a buddy.


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