Summer Woes

Here is a recipe for frustration:

1. Make sure your car is plenty dirty, including front and back door mats, inside doors, upholstery, storage area and windows. There should be a) tiny pieces of paper b) somewhat larger mystery pieces of paper c) items to go to St. Vincent’s d) used ink cartridges to go to the Cartridge Depot e) lots of tiny rocks f) mud g) hair h) golf clubs & bag i) golf umbrella j) golf ball retriever k) “green” grocery bags l) golf visors m) empty drink bottles…
2. Wait for a day that is not hot, not humid, not raining, and with minimal bugs.
3. Wait for a day when there are only six other things scheduled, so you have “time” to clean out your car’s interior.
4. Find your handy-dandy portable 33-yr-old vacuum cleaner (it’s in a box, wrapped in plastic to keep the ants out, in the small shed).
5. Take all the parts out of the box.
6. Assemble them.
7. Check to make sure there is a clean bag inside (whew! there is).
8. Go find the car keys.
9. Move the car next to the sidewalk for easy (easier) access.
10. Remove as much of the stuff listed in #1 as possible.
11. Take out the floor mats and smack them around a bit to dislodge some of the dirt & rocks.
12. Go back to the small shed to get the extension cord.
13. Go into the large shed to look for the extension cord.
14. Go back to the small shed to look for the extension cord.
15. Go into the utility room to look for the extension cord.
16. Put the car back together.
17. Put the vacuum cleaner back together.
18. Put it in the box, plastic wrap the box, and return it to the small shed.
19. Leave a telephone message for the person who drives the other car, and undoubtedly has my extension cord in his car.
20. Go to the computer and write this blog entry. Then smile :) Life is good :)

Another Kind of "Slushy"

I am compelled to share my experiences on the road yesterday, because maybe I'll begin to see some humor in it. To set the scene: A quick meeting in Bloomington with Miki was tentatively scheduled for 9:00 am, to take place before continuing on to Indianapolis for a biannual Project Linus chapter meeting. Marty and I had scheduled a "time optional" meeting for lunch during the hours I was to be in Indy. From there, plans were to shop at both Sam's and WalMart in Bloomington on my way home.

As my all too typical luck would have it, a "wintry mix" of snow and rain was predicted as well as temperatures just at and below freezing. However, I was not going to let the weather get in my way. After all, I learned to drive in Idaho and certainly knew how to drive in snow...

I got underway a little after 8:00 and made my leisurely way to Bloomington, actually driving the lawful speed limit, and thinking to myself, "Ha! There's no rain or snow; they got it wrong again!" Miki and I had a nice visit and then I was back on the road. Five minutes north of Bloomington the rain started. Actually, it was slush. Big drops of slush slapping onto my windshield. There seemed to be pockets of slush activity interspersed with no precipitation at all followed by gigantic gusts of wind. Then Marty called to say that he needed to postpone our lunch. That's when I made a regrettable decision. I had been seriously considering turning around and going back south, a thought that came to me about every ten minutes as I struggled on and on toward Indianapolis. "Nah! I can make it; no problem!" and then "Well, I've made it this far..."

Visibility on 465 was no more than 100 feet as Mr. Slushy kept adding to the "wintry mix". Even so, the roads were passable though very wet, and tires were splashing dirty slush high onto everyone's windshields. Naturally the idiots (excuse the expression) were driving 65-75 mph as if they could get to their destination before the weather got really bad (or maybe they were fearful of losing sight of the car ahead of them). The wind was awful but I hung on tight, watching for my exit, and breathed a sigh of relief as I parked at the site of the meeting.

I stepped out of my car into an inch of dirty sloppy slush... so with very wet snow now coming down on my head I tiptoed carefully over the slippery, but not yet icy, sidewalk. My reward of hot coffee and doughnut holes was waiting... little did I know that would be the best part of my day. A half hour later, having schmoozed my limit with the roomful of lovely ladies, I made my excuses, voiced my regrets, and returned back outside. And stepped onto a very icy sidewalk. "Oh, great! Terrific! This is not going to be fun."

Back onto 465 now and that funny white stuff was still coming out of the sky. Each lane was fairly clear, but moving from lane to lane was treacherous. The slushy snow had built up between lanes and was in the process of freezing, so people who weren't aware or careful or alert or sober found themselves doing unexpected wheelies and ending up on the side of the road. It was most interesting; I stayed well back from the pack.

Suddenly, sirens! Everybody came to a stop, some sideways of course because they braked too quickly. Luckily, no collisions. There we sat for half an hour, cars stopped as far back as I could see. During that time two more police cars, three ambulances and two fire trucks with "Paramedic" on the side arrived. All I could see was one car in the median and one off the right shoulder, both apparently undamaged. There was much scrunching around in the slush by the authorities and EMTs and paramedics, back and forth between the emergency vehicles and the two cars, wet heavy snow falling continuously. Finally we started moving, and as I passed the folks who had kept us all waiting I noticed smiles and shrugs and laughter among them, and I couldn't help but think, "Someone is going to stop their car, get out and punch one of these guys." Admittedly, I was surprised that no one did. If I were just the tiniest bit more aggressive, it might have been me.

So then, the road ahead had frozen and everyone was extremely cautious for a while, which did not surprise me. We all wondered what it would have taken for it to be one of us off the road back there. Not much. Precipitation stopped once I reached Bloomington. Now it was time to ponder the wisdom of trying to walk through ice, snow and slush to get into Sam's and then into WalMart. I made it, but got wet shoes, socks and feet.

I took Hwy 45 toward home from there, my progress hindered by a huge snow plow going a steady 45 mph, with never a place to safely pass. Thankfully, it pulled off at the main Crane gate. Then, just past the turnoff to Odon, I picked up another snow plow, a smaller one this time, but the driver was clearly a maniac. This person drove all over the road, attacking every little pile of snow, with complete lack of concern for the cars following. Just short of Boggs Lake, three of us were able to fly past.

Turning into our driveway, I knew I still had one challenge to go... getting up the hill. Determined, I gained speed, moved up nicely almost to the crest... and started spinning. A bit frantic now after such a dreadful trip, I put the car in 2nd gear and ground forward a little farther, then moved down to 1st gear and insistently forced my poor little "Gus" car up the final three feet.

I'm glad Mike didn't take a picture of me as I entered the house. I must have looked like one of those cartoon characters with their eyes whirling round and round! It took hours for the adrenalin to ease off. What a day!
...and look at my poor car!

Fear vs Hope

The mood changes from worry to terror these days when workers see the boss or the HR person approaching. Every day the fear grows of getting a pink slip with the notation: "...exit the building immediately...". Whoever thought we would be living through such an awful time? What happens to a family who have had to leave their home because they couldn't make the mortgage payments? What happens when neither of the parents can find work? What happens when the savings are gone but the bills keep coming and the creditors are threatening? What happens when there is no more food on the shelves and no money to buy more? What happens to families who have no one to help them, to offer them a home, to care about them and care for them? Whoever thought our neighbors and friends would be faced with this unbelievable dilemma?

It may not have hit your neighborhood yet, but it's getting closer all the time. We don't have the power to "do over" some of our past mistakes and failures, nor is there any easy way to fend off what may be inevitable. Small towns and rural areas are perhaps better equipped to deal with the sorrows of recession because it's likely there are relatives near and certainly a sense of community, of sharing and caring. Some will offer real help, some will pray, some will put their faith in our president and our lawmakers. Some keep on trying.

However, I just read a news article that shocked my soul and made me afraid. A man and his wife were fired on the same day, went home and killed their 5 children and themselves. They had lost hope of things ever getting any better, and leaving this world seemed a better choice than living in it.

We need to rediscover hope. Hope's opposite, despair, leads to unthinkable actions and reactions. Hope is a powerful force that allows us to carry on, to seek alternatives, to think ahead to what we would do if we found ourselves in such difficult circumstances, as well as to think about what we can/would/should do for those who need help. Perhaps it's as easy as opening our minds and hearts and homes, and making sure that unfortunate folks can count on us luckier ones.

Tonight, Mike and I talked about what it would be like to have all our kids and grandkids living here with us. We decided that we would be crowded, but we would sure have a lot of fun. Our own little commune right here. I think Mike was already planting a big garden in his head.