Unstable ladders often result in falls. Consequently, I was always careful to make sure that my ladder was stable, except for this time.

Time for Tree Topping

On August 9, 2022, I decided it was time to try to top off a tree that was dead at the top. I figured it to be a fire hazard since it was right by my house. It was also an ugly eyesore. I videoed the tree behind the house and then I got the ladder that was leaning on the motorhome and carried it through the house to the backyard. I put the ladder up against the tree in the most stable position that I could find. The ground was a bit unlevel and I tried to make sure that I wouldn’t be climbing up and down an unstable ladder.

Finding Out I had an Unstable Ladder

I knew that once I got up the tree, I would be up there too long for a video of me coming down since my camera shuts off at 15 to 20 minutes. So, I videoed myself going up the ladder and climbing a little into the tree. Then, I came back down.

On that first climb, I found that one of my new kittens, Tigresa, was following me up the ladder. When we got to the top, I picked her up and reached to the right to put her on the tree. This move unbalanced the ladder and it started to lean to the right. I grabbed the nearest branch and was very careful getting off the ladder. Naturally, I was very careful to balance when I stepped back onto the ladder. I got down safely and checked for the video. I didn’t see a recording on my camera and thought I missed my near fall.

Since I didn’t think I had a recording (I found out later that I did have it.), I had to go up again. It didn’t occur to me to fix my unstable ladder. I was just going to go up very carefully. I made it up and back down with no problem. Then, I went up to start work and realized that I forgot my eye goggles (A must for eye protection)  and had to go back down again to get them. I was very careful to keep the ladder balanced. Uneventfully, I got up the ladder again and tightly grasped the closest branch, and I got safely onto the tree.

Climbing the Tree was Easy

Even though I was climbing the ladder and tree in a skirt, it was basically easy. My skirt snagged a couple of times, but so did my shirt. The branches were the perfect distance apart. At least one was dead and I checked to be sure it was solid. I kept a good hold on other branches before I stepped on it. This wasn’t my first tree climb. I have always loved climbing trees since I was a young girl. My babysitter would tell me to come down from the big tree in our backyard. I would tell her that my mom was a doctor and she would take care of me if I fell. My mother is no longer living, so I knew that I needed to be very careful to not fall out of this tree.

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Sawing With a Handsaw

When I got to the place where the trunk was dead, it was larger than I had expected. All I had brought with me was a handsaw. I figured that I could work on making a wedge on the side where I wanted it to fall. It was slow going since my saw is also a bit dull. Also, as I evaluated the situation, I saw that there were no branches on the opposite side of the tree. How was I going to saw the straight cut and also be out of the way of the huge tree top when it fell? Maybe I was out of my league for this adventure.

Tigresa Started Meowing

The kittens often start to meow when they are afraid to come down from a tree. Now, Tigresa came out of the house and started meowing in a panic. In all my times of going back down the ladder, she had gone in the house and didn’t know I had gone back up the tree. Somehow, she figured that I didn’t belong up a tree. I had already been working for about 30 minutes, so I decided to go back down the tree. When I got to just above the ladder, she came up it to meet me. I hurried to turn on my phone camera and got a video of her coming up the last couple of rungs.

The Unstable Ladder Falls

After petting the kitten, I carefully got on the unstable ladder. All was well. Somehow, I forgot about how the ladder almost fell when I put Tigresa on the tree. Thinking it would be loving to carry her down, I reached over and brought her to me.

It was like the straw that broke the camel’s back. , but in this case, her little weight unbalanced the ladder. I had to drop her or toss her, and I don’t really remember what happened. Frantically, I grabbed for the tree trunk, but it was too late. The ladder turned to the left and fell backward, and the next thing I knew, I was hanging on the fence by one knee. At this point, all I could think of was how much it was hurting and I needed to get off of the fence. My weight and the weight of the ladder had bent the fence so far that I was only a foot or two above the ground. I just straightened my knee and slid to the ground and ended up on the outside of the backyard.

Assessing the Damage

I grabbed tightly under my knee to apply pressure to stop the internal bleeding. For protection, I always wear denim pants under my skirt, and they kept my leg from getting cut on the fence. I assessed the damage and knew that nothing was broken.

I Could Walk!

I rested for a few minutes, then I got up to see if I could walk. Fortunately, I was able to walk! A muscle in my right knee was also hurting as I walked. I managed to make it to the front of the house. Earlier, I  had seen Tigresa run into the house as I hung from the fence. She appeared to be okay and she was now hiding in the house. I went to the backyard and got the ladder off of the fence. Then, I got ice packs to put under my left knee and the lateral side of my right knee.

Conclusion for Unstable Ladders

When I first found out that my ladder was unstable, the thought crossed my mind to tie a rope, hanging from the top, around the trunk. That would have been a good idea if I could do it without making the ladder fall. I learned that if a ladder is unstable, don’t try to carry a kitten down it. Kittens can climb down on their own.

While working in Physical Therapy Rehab over the years, I have had a number of patients that fell off ladders. They ended up with various broken bones. I could have landed flat on my back or on my head and been paralyzed or broken one or more bones.  God was so merciful to have my angel drop me on the fence. Even though it hurt, I had so much to be thankful for. I could still walk and go to work where I have the night shift and mostly just sleep.

In a coming post, I will share what I did to treat my injury. It has been three weeks now and I am mostly back to normal.

Watch the Video

Now, you can watch the video. Don’t worry about seeing me fall. Remember that my Nikon camera on the tripod wasn’t working at that point. I would like to thank all of my friends for joining me on this journey. This tree cutting adventure didn’t end as I expected, but I praise God for the trial that gave me some pain to be able to empathize with those who are suffering. If you have comments, please put them here in the blog or under the YouTube video so others will also be blessed. I would love to hear your stories of falling off ladders or other accidents where you could see God’s mercy. Don’t forget to rejoice in all of your trials.

I invite you to check out the other categories on my blog. Below are the most recent posts for each one.

Homesteading: https://healthyhomesteadingadventures.com/we-put-in-an-unpermitted-leach-field/

Health: https://healthyhomesteadingadventures.com/gods-design-in-our-sanitariums-6/

Wildlife: https://healthyhomesteadingadventures.com/feed-the-fish-instead-of-fishing/

Pets: https://healthyhomesteadingadventures.com/introducing-the-cats-we-had-before-we-moved-to-our-homestead-part-2-heshe/

Music: https://healthyhomesteadingadventures.com/psalm-57/