You Get What You Pay For

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This husband of mine…

Hates to pay for something…he can do himself…or shall we say…should be able to do himself…or used to be able to do himself…

Those gutters of ours…a little plugged on the ends…need to pull the sludgy leaves out…ladder not tall enough…old bodies…not agile enough…one of us called for estimates…the other…balking at the price…decided to give it…one last go…see if those arms of his would reach…this time…

Saw the tom foolery from the window…went out to hold the ladder…navigated the up and down just fine…but that step off…onto the sidewalk…happened so fast…yet…in slow motion…step down…step wrong…heard the crack…spent the evening…in the ER…

Chipped ankle bone…damaged tendons…swelling…pain…weeks of physical therapy…gutters…still full of muck…

Lovely wife that she is…can think of lots of lessons…from the old step and crack…stubborn is…as stubborn does…we aren’t spring chickens any more Aunt Bea…or maybe…just maybe…

You get…what you pay for…
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And that husband of mine…might reluctantly…agree…