Last week Friday I’d returned home after getting my bi-weekly massage and headed out to the barn to take care of the Happy Chickens, slipped on the icy path and nearly undid all the hard work that Matt, my CMT, had put into releasing the tension in my back.  (I’m sorry, Matt.)  When I came back to the house, I mentioned to Mr. Muse about my slip-and-not-fall to which he replied, “Well, why didn’t you have your Yak-Trax on your boots?”

Good question!

I’m not typically a person that saves too much “stuff”.  I don’t like clutter.  My Mom tells me that I make her feel guilty about her own house when she visits mine because I rarely have “stuff” about.  I don’t like “stuff” lying about (disclaimer: you wouldn’t know that right now… post-vacation chaos); so, most of the time everything is in it’s place and there is a place for everything.  Except when I have the brilliant idea to store useful “stuff” somewhere I won’t forget.

Note:  I usually forget.

Such was the case with my Yak-Trax.  In Wisconsin, in late winter when we’ve had at least a thaw or two and the snow has melted into puddles of ice, Yak-Trax are useful items to have.  They prevent people from falling down on said puddles of ice and breaking bones or skinning knees.  Mr. Muse in his infinite wisdom decided to give me a pair of these useful rubber-net-and-metal-coil footwear accessories for Christmas a few years ago and in my infinite wisdom, I wore them for the remainder of that winter, stored them for the summer and forgot I had them.  Until last week.

One week later, I’m blissfully fall-free between the house and the barn and I’ve only had one chiropractic adjustment (because Matt told me I needed to make an appointment since he felt something was “off” – thanks Matt!).  Surprisingly, my Yak-Trax are not full of dirty pine shavings and chicken poop.  Sadly, I’m nearly out of Chicken Poop.  However, I did manage to happen upon another item of useful nature recently: my earflap winter hat.  It’s fleece, it covers my ears, it ties under my chin and stays on in the wind.  Now THAT it useful!