I almost DIED today.

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I had a doctors appointment to go to today. But last night we received a lot of rain and this morning there was a strong downpour. All together it was over 5 inches of rainfall. My bridge crosses a stream and during heavy rains it can turn into a raging river. So I went down and looked at the bridge and there was around 2 feet of water flowing over the bridge. Too much to drive across. I also noticed a log that flowed downstream and became lodged in one of the culverts. A few years ago I added two large 3 foot diameter culverts when I repaired the bridge. They will pass a great deal of water. So I went back to the house and thought I would wait an hour and just before the appointment I would go down and check the bridge and determine if it was passable.

Well I went down and the water level had dropped appreciably. I thought it might be a good idea to try and remove the log. So I slowly began to move the log and lift it, when something happened. I didn't know what but then I began to realize I was completely underwater. I reached out and touched plastic and I understood that I had been sucked into the 10 foot long culvert. The water pressure was extreme and I was moving fast. So I figured I would exit downstream momentarily and just go with the flow. So I waited a second and then began to swim to the surface. I was at the surface and noticed I was missing a shoe. I began to swim to shore and notice my missing shoe floating in the water, so I picked it up and put it on my foot and crawled to shore.

So I walked up to the house totally drenched. I was a little banged up. My knees was skinned. So I cleaned myself up and went to my doctors appointment, thinking the timing could not have been more appropriate. Let the doc take a look and make sure nothing is broken.

The experience was not horrible or scary. It was like a ride in a water park. I realized that I also lost my glasses when I was underwater and it now is somewhere in the creek. But it was a 10 year old pair of glasses and I had newer replacements.

Over my life there have been many times when I almost died. They don't frighten me anymore. Sometimes I think I am like a cat, a cat with nine lives. I haven't held a precise count but it is near 9 times I have faced death. And since I am 71 and will soon to be 72, I have lived my life without regret and without fear.

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Looking up this cat myth on the Internet:

A common myth that we’ve all heard is that cats have nine lives. But where does this fiction of feline immortality actually come from?

A cat is probably the most independent pet out there. They can withstand falls and other serious accidents without being fatally wounded, which is perhaps where the saying ‘a cat has nine lives’ actually comes from.

This is all thanks to a cat’s anatomy:

* They have a large surface area compared to their weight – reducing the force of landing
* Cats have evolved to live in trees and therefore have adapted to conquer falls
* Their ‘righting reflex’ enables them to twist their bodies and land safely on their feet
* Cats have flexibility in their bones and ligaments, which help them to sustain minimal injury from many different accidents

Then the article went on to say:
Cats are incredibly intelligent and intuitive. They have lightning-fast reflexes, quick decision making skills and remarkable dexterity.

I could go along with that. It is a nice compliment. Anyways I am O.K., just a little banged up and on the mend.

Very glad you’re okay Jimmy! It certainly shows how swiftly situations can change.

My older sister was once swept away in her car in a flash flood. She managed to scramble out of the driver’s window, the water fast flowing. She eventually made it out and climbed up a bank, and sought help at some factory. Her car was four 4 months later!

Oh dear!
Glad you are ok.

Oh wow, that was a close call, very fortunate to have luck on your side today.

I am glad you are ok.

Glad to hear you are okay. Must have been an exciting ride!

I’m glad you came out alive. If you would have panicked, you might have not been so fortunate.

You are VERY lucky.I’m glad you made it out ok.
Never get around a culvert upstream, if it had been clogged with brush you would not have made it out the other side.A small child died here that way, sucked in and then she got stuck inside the culvert.

I am so glad that you are ok! Hope you dried off promptly and got warm!

I think some Aspies have this weird feeling of invulnerability that leads to calm during horrific situations. That can work both ways, not panicking is good but a...hyposensitivity? to danger can lead to trouble. I have found myself calm and serene in situations I should have gotten the hell out of.

Live Long and Prosper!

Wow, what an ordeal. Glad to here you're OK. I think those storms just reached here.

Thank you to all those that wished me well.

The design of culvert pipes have made some technological advances from 40 years ago when I began building the house and constructing the initial bridge. This time, I used an HDPE pipes and its lucky I choose this kind of large culvert pipe. It is technically called a dual wall corrugated polyethylene drainage pipe. It is actually two pipes, one inside the other and the two pipes are then fused together. The outer pipe is corrugated but the inner pipe is smooth. So generally anything that fits inside the pipe will easily pass through. The outer corrugated pipe, because it is corrugated, is fairly locked in place and does not move or shift over time. But branches and logs will sometime get hung up on the front side of the pipe. So it was a good construction decision and probably helped to save my life.