It looked very much like winter today. Exhibit A ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Finals07-Snowyday-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
It was snowy, blowy and pretty darn cold. It was 18F (-8C) when I left for work. In mid-afternoon, it was 14 (-10C). Now it's about 11 p.m., and the temperature has fallen to +3 (-16C). Tomorrow, snow is in the forecast. A couple inches. (2.5 cm * "a couple").
It's also getting on towards Christmas, and I need to come up with suitable gifts for everyone. But that's another post for another time.
I wanted to fill you in about last week's trip downstate, with a few pictures. I wrote several times about it, so you may want to know.
The recent post about the trip to St. Ignace included several photos of the Mackinac Bridge. Here is one more: from the bridge itself as we crossed it. My wife took it ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Finals07-OnBridge-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
That was five hours into the drive, as we crossed from the Upper Peninsula to the Lower Peninsula. Just south of the bridge, we saw some wind turbines. The only ones we ever get to see. "Might as well get a shot of them, too." OK ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Finals07-Windturbns-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
The drive from here to there is really long, and we tried to make as few stops as possible. Some (gas, meals, pit stops) are unavoidable. Others (photos) are optional. The camera was put away, and I kept driving. Besides, it was cloudy and there wasn't much to see except the highway, oncoming traffic and the occasional town or city.
Part of the time, we talked. Mostly we listened to the radio. I've got Sirius satellite radio in the car, and lately we've been listening to a lot of classic radio. My personal favorite is "Gunsmoke"--the stories are always interesting and well-written. "The Lone Ranger," of course. A few months ago I found a site that has podcasts of old radio shows--and my iPod has a good library of them now.
After dark, with snow starting to fall, we finally reached our motel in Flint (an hour from my son's place). We called my son, Phil, to plan our visit the next day and then settled down for the night. Not much to report--we were pretty tired from the long day on the road.
The forecast called for an inch or two of snow overnight. We looked out the window Thursday morning. Ummm, not that much ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Finals07-AMSnow-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
We got to Phil's place about 10:30 (Central Time), an hour before the Packers-Lions football game started. It gave Phil and David a chance to look over each other's stuff ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Finals07-Apartmnt-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
Phil's cat, Duchess, looked us over pretty closely. Eventually she decided we didn't pose a threat to her playthings ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Finals07-Duchess-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
The main entertainment of the day was the Packers-Lions game. It wasn't a good game for the Lions. Though Phil was brought up with us in the western U.P. (i.e.: Packer Country), he's been following the Lions for years, since he's been living there since going off to college in the mid '90s. So he felt compelled to groan once in a while as the Lions struggled.
One football game was enough: We went on to another kind of macho entertainment: a Popeye cartoon collection that came out recently. Several hours were spent watching Popeye and Bluto battle for the fickle affections of the oh-so-skinny Olive Oyl. The DVD set had commentaries and everything. Cool. But after a while, we started thinking about supper.
Most restaurants in the States (even the fast food places) are closed on Thanksgiving Day. So what could we do about Thanksgiving dinner, since he lacks serious cooking skills? In past years, we went across the international border to Windsor, Ont., to check out the stores and get a nice meal--went to an Outback steakhouse one year and an Italian restaurant the next. But the exchange rate hasn't been too good for the greenback lately, and we stayed on our side of the border this year.
The solution to our culinary dilemma: frozen pizzas! He got two stuffed-crust pizzas, and we made short work of them. When in Rome, and all that.
After the pizzas, we moved on to the main event of the night: a movie. He suggested a few, and we finally settled on Ratatouille. Did I spell that right? About the rat who becomes an expert chef. It was a fun movie that I hadn't seen before.
We didn't stay late because everyone knew the plan for Friday. The three of us (my wife, David and myself) were to get up at 6 a.m. Central Time, drive down to Phil's apartment, pick him up, and continue south into downtown Detroit for the game, which kicked off at 9 a.m. Central Time.
(I specify "Central Time" because Detroit is in Eastern Time, an hour ahead of us. When Phil and I discussed schedules, I had to be very careful to avoid misunderstandings. It's rarely an issue, but this time it's obviously very important.)
Friday morning, everyone knew their jobs. We all went to bed early, and we all were able to get up at 6 a.m. and feel fairly well rested, with our things mostly packed up already. I called Phil: He was ready. Bottom line: We were inside Ford Field in plenty of time for the game. The rest of our contingent found seats near the field. Hi, guys! ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Finals07-Higuys-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
Phil was somewhere else at the time. He got back a few minutes later ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Finals07-Higuys2-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
Phil wanted to come along because he had never seen Ford Field (where the Packers and Lions played the day before) from the inside. David and I had been there twice already, and my wife had been there once. I took some photos [URL="http://drdog.efx2blogs.com/5148/Name+of+the+game%3A+TV+or+not+TV%3F.html"]last year[/URL] and showed them to you.
I gave my wife a $20 bill, for her ticket and concessions. After a soda and some popcorn, she only had 25 cents left. The kids paid their own way.
Only two more shots this time. One was taken inside, about a half hour before the game ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Finals07-InsideFF-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
And the other was taken just after our team was presented the state championship trophy. It's shaped like Michigan, if you can't tell ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Finals07-Trophy-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
After the game I was busy for about an hour with interviews, running around to get stats and then finding my way out. Then, we got back onto I-75 and headed north. We dropped off Phil at his place and kept going north.
I had hoped to get back home that night, but we got away too late for that. By the time we got to the bridge (long after dark), we decided to stay at St. Ignace overnight and finish the trip the next morning.
And that's what we did.
In the end, we had a nice visit. But it was far less than it could have been--mainly because I was visiting on the clock. Everything revolved around getting up early for that game and then getting back home as quickly as we could afterwards. We didn't have the luxury of looking around the area, shopping, seeing the sights or even going out to eat at a nice restaurant.
Next year, maybe we'll be able to visit him in summer and do all the things we couldn't do on this trip. I hope we can.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Home again, home again, jiggity jig
Hi, everyone. We got back home at about 3 p.m. Saturday. In all, I had driven about 1,180 miles since leaving at about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. That's a lot of driving.
Things went pretty well. Everyone cooperated very well with me, and we got to the game in pretty of time Friday morning. We ran into a few areas of snow during the drive (especially on the trip home), but nothing too bad.
My original plan was to drive all the way home Friday night, but I had a lot of work after the game (interviews, etc.), so we didn't start the trip home until about 2:30 p.m. We got to the bridge (about halfway) about 8 p.m., and we still had five hours of driving ahead of us. So we spent three nights in motels instead of two.
And ... our team won the game, 22-14, to win the state Division 8 championship. It's the first time I have ever covered our team winning a state title. So I'll be writing a lot tomorrow.
I'll write a report for you, too, with a few photos (just a few).
Things went pretty well. Everyone cooperated very well with me, and we got to the game in pretty of time Friday morning. We ran into a few areas of snow during the drive (especially on the trip home), but nothing too bad.
My original plan was to drive all the way home Friday night, but I had a lot of work after the game (interviews, etc.), so we didn't start the trip home until about 2:30 p.m. We got to the bridge (about halfway) about 8 p.m., and we still had five hours of driving ahead of us. So we spent three nights in motels instead of two.
And ... our team won the game, 22-14, to win the state Division 8 championship. It's the first time I have ever covered our team winning a state title. So I'll be writing a lot tomorrow.
I'll write a report for you, too, with a few photos (just a few).
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Seriously stressing out
Twelve hours from now, we will be on our 520-mile drive down to Detroit for the state finals. My role is chauffeur and chief navigator--I know the route pretty well by now, so the navigator work should be a snap. My wife and son will be in the role of passengers.
Well, they do more than that. My wife decides when we need a pit stop, and my son helps decide when we need to get snacks. Rather, when he needs to get snacks. The two events usually coincide with each other, so it usually works all right.
Part one (Wednesday) is driving to our motel in Flint. That should be about nine hours and 460 miles. By that time, it should be about 7 p.m., and I'll be ready for some rest.
My son's apartment is another hour away, and we'll travel that last part of the trip Thanksgiving morning. In fact, we'll probably spend most of the day at the apartment, watching football, movies and watching the kids playing videogames. With luck, I'll even get a chance to take a nap. Since most restaurants will be closed, we may opt for frozen pizza for our Thanksgiving dinner. So it goes.
Friday morning, we need to get going VERY early. The game starts at 9 Central Time. (10 a.m. locally, but I keep thinking Central Time for simplicity's sake). It's the first of four state championship games that day.
For us, it means we have to exit the motel by 7 to get a very quick breakfast, stop at my son's place (an hour away) to pick him up and then drive into downtown Detroit for the game. My older son is coming with us this time; he got the day off, and he's never been to Ford Field.
That Friday morning could be tough, getting my wife and son going much earlier than they usually do, plus the added stop at my son's place. Last year, it was just me and David, and my wife didn't come along; we got there in plenty of time.
I have to really impress upon everyone the importance of arriving there at least a half hour before the kickoff. If it were just me, there would be no problem. I know I can do it. But getting the others motivated enough to be ready in time is sometimes like herding cats. When my wife and I talked today and she said we should be ready to go by 8 a.m. Wednesday, I said to myself, "We'll see about that."
At least tomorrow, I don't have to be at the motel at any set time. But on Friday morning ... they're not going to hold up the game for me.
Then, after the game, we get back together, climb in the car, drop my son off at his place and then start the 500+-mile trip home. It will give me plenty of time to think about my story. But I won't be able to do any actual writing until I get home, whenever that is. And, by the way, maybe I'll be writing about a state championship.
And now here's the latest: They are forecasting possibly heavy rain in the Flint area on Wednesday, changing to rain and snow that night--several inches of snow, continuing into Thursday. (Back home, the weather should be just fine.) The storm should be gone by Friday.
Can you tell that I'm trying to deal with a lot of stress right now? I think I have been dreading this trip for months, and it's all coming down in the next couple days. Ready or not, here we come.
Well, they do more than that. My wife decides when we need a pit stop, and my son helps decide when we need to get snacks. Rather, when he needs to get snacks. The two events usually coincide with each other, so it usually works all right.
Part one (Wednesday) is driving to our motel in Flint. That should be about nine hours and 460 miles. By that time, it should be about 7 p.m., and I'll be ready for some rest.
My son's apartment is another hour away, and we'll travel that last part of the trip Thanksgiving morning. In fact, we'll probably spend most of the day at the apartment, watching football, movies and watching the kids playing videogames. With luck, I'll even get a chance to take a nap. Since most restaurants will be closed, we may opt for frozen pizza for our Thanksgiving dinner. So it goes.
Friday morning, we need to get going VERY early. The game starts at 9 Central Time. (10 a.m. locally, but I keep thinking Central Time for simplicity's sake). It's the first of four state championship games that day.
For us, it means we have to exit the motel by 7 to get a very quick breakfast, stop at my son's place (an hour away) to pick him up and then drive into downtown Detroit for the game. My older son is coming with us this time; he got the day off, and he's never been to Ford Field.
That Friday morning could be tough, getting my wife and son going much earlier than they usually do, plus the added stop at my son's place. Last year, it was just me and David, and my wife didn't come along; we got there in plenty of time.
I have to really impress upon everyone the importance of arriving there at least a half hour before the kickoff. If it were just me, there would be no problem. I know I can do it. But getting the others motivated enough to be ready in time is sometimes like herding cats. When my wife and I talked today and she said we should be ready to go by 8 a.m. Wednesday, I said to myself, "We'll see about that."
At least tomorrow, I don't have to be at the motel at any set time. But on Friday morning ... they're not going to hold up the game for me.
Then, after the game, we get back together, climb in the car, drop my son off at his place and then start the 500+-mile trip home. It will give me plenty of time to think about my story. But I won't be able to do any actual writing until I get home, whenever that is. And, by the way, maybe I'll be writing about a state championship.
And now here's the latest: They are forecasting possibly heavy rain in the Flint area on Wednesday, changing to rain and snow that night--several inches of snow, continuing into Thursday. (Back home, the weather should be just fine.) The storm should be gone by Friday.
Can you tell that I'm trying to deal with a lot of stress right now? I think I have been dreading this trip for months, and it's all coming down in the next couple days. Ready or not, here we come.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Reports from the road
When I last wrote, I was in the middle of my crazier-than-hell part of the sports year.
Nothing has changed since then.
First, the latest. I (plus my wife and son) went to Marquette today for the Division 8 state football semifinal game, played in the Superior Dome ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/FPgrid07-dome-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
I could write a lot about it, but I'll be doing that tomorrow, anyway. The bottom line is that our team won 22-7 and will be playing in the state championship game for the fourth consecutive year ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/FPgrid07-team-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
They are 0-3 in those games. Can they pull it off this year? We'll find out next Friday morning, when they play at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.
Yes, it's going to be my fourth consecutive Thanksgiving Day away from home. I resigned myself to this fact some time ago; the team is very, very good. Are they the best Division 8 team in the state this year? Time will tell.
I called my older son (who lives in the north suburban area) after the game, alerting him that he's going to get company. At this point, it appears David will be coming along with me. My wife isn't sure yet. I think she wants to, but work pending at the call center may prevent it. We'll see.
I need to know Monday because I have to reserve motel rooms. Do I need to reserve one room or two? It depends on what my wife finally decides. Reason: To put it plainly, my wife snores. It doesn't bother me--I've slept with her for 36+ years, so I'm used to it--but it does bother David.
At any rate, we won't be able to hit the road until Wednesday morning; my son works until about 9 p.m. Tuesday. I had hoped we could get 200 miles down the road on Tuesday. It ain't gonna happen.
Thanksgiving Day will be spent at my older son's apartment, watching football (the Packers and Lions will be battling), visiting and watching movies. Thanksgiving dinner may consist of frozen pizzas, since nearly every stateside restaurant is closed.
Friday is the game (9 a.m. local time; 10 Eastern). After it ends and I get some quick interviews, we all jump back in the car and start the 500+-mile trip home.
****
That wraps up the football news. Now, a recap on the Tuesday trip to St. Ignace for the girls volleyball quarterfinals. Our girls won that match and went to the state semifinals in Battle Creek--where they lost 3-2. They had a great year.
But this isn't about the match. This is about our trip and the photos I got. So let me set up my slide projector and the screen. OK? Dim the lights.
First, remember when I wrote recently about my missing ice scraper? So I bought a new one. On the morning of the trip, guess what I saw peeking out at me, from under the driver's seat ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Scrapers-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
Murphy's Law, proven once again.
The weather was coolish and gray. Fairly standard November weather. It was the day before Michigan's firearms deer season started. Many of the gas stations up here sell big bags of apples, potatoes and carrots that hunters put out as bait ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Deerfeed-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
What amazed me most of all was the size of some of the carrots. They were sold in 30-pound bags, and they had some monsters inside. How can I give you an idea of the size? I put my camera bag on the carrot bags ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Carrotbag-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
One of those could feed Bugs Bunny for a week.
As daylight started fading, we saw some wave action along the north shore of Lake Michigan ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg-Wavesdusk-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
And as we neared St. Ignace, the site of the match, we finally saw the Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan's peninsulas ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Bridgedusk-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
More on the bridge later.
We reserved our motel room and then went to the match. The girls played hard ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-FPdive-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Dblbump-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
And were they ever happy after getting the winning point, earning them a trip downstate!
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Happygirls-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
My wife and I celebrated by going out for a pizza. Then we went to take a look at the bridge, and I tried photos at night--without a tripod!
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Bridgenight-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
At the motel, we were amazed when we saw the sunrise and sunset times. Didn't make much sense to us ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-TWCsunset-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
We were tired and full of pizza, so we slept well. The wind picked up a lot during the night. We went back to "Bridge View Park" to take more photos in the morning, and the strong wind had the waters dancing ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Bridgewaves-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
When we looked more closely at the bridge, we saw big waves crashing around the abutments. Look at the water splashing here ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Bridgesplash-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
We headed back west, but the wave action along the beach was distracting. Big wave action, considering it's on inland lakes ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-WavesDay-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
Someday (in summer, of course), I'd like to get out in this kind of wave action and feel the hydraulic power all around me. The water is warm enough in late summer--it may even be over 60 degrees F! But since we live so far away (this is still about 200 miles away from our home, remember), it would have to be planned out over a weekend.
One last picture from our trip. Just a sign that says--if you read it a certain way--new and bizarre pasty recipes have been unleashed upon an unwary world ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Pasties-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
Nothing has changed since then.
First, the latest. I (plus my wife and son) went to Marquette today for the Division 8 state football semifinal game, played in the Superior Dome ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/FPgrid07-dome-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
I could write a lot about it, but I'll be doing that tomorrow, anyway. The bottom line is that our team won 22-7 and will be playing in the state championship game for the fourth consecutive year ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/FPgrid07-team-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
They are 0-3 in those games. Can they pull it off this year? We'll find out next Friday morning, when they play at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.
Yes, it's going to be my fourth consecutive Thanksgiving Day away from home. I resigned myself to this fact some time ago; the team is very, very good. Are they the best Division 8 team in the state this year? Time will tell.
I called my older son (who lives in the north suburban area) after the game, alerting him that he's going to get company. At this point, it appears David will be coming along with me. My wife isn't sure yet. I think she wants to, but work pending at the call center may prevent it. We'll see.
I need to know Monday because I have to reserve motel rooms. Do I need to reserve one room or two? It depends on what my wife finally decides. Reason: To put it plainly, my wife snores. It doesn't bother me--I've slept with her for 36+ years, so I'm used to it--but it does bother David.
At any rate, we won't be able to hit the road until Wednesday morning; my son works until about 9 p.m. Tuesday. I had hoped we could get 200 miles down the road on Tuesday. It ain't gonna happen.
Thanksgiving Day will be spent at my older son's apartment, watching football (the Packers and Lions will be battling), visiting and watching movies. Thanksgiving dinner may consist of frozen pizzas, since nearly every stateside restaurant is closed.
Friday is the game (9 a.m. local time; 10 Eastern). After it ends and I get some quick interviews, we all jump back in the car and start the 500+-mile trip home.
****
That wraps up the football news. Now, a recap on the Tuesday trip to St. Ignace for the girls volleyball quarterfinals. Our girls won that match and went to the state semifinals in Battle Creek--where they lost 3-2. They had a great year.
But this isn't about the match. This is about our trip and the photos I got. So let me set up my slide projector and the screen. OK? Dim the lights.
First, remember when I wrote recently about my missing ice scraper? So I bought a new one. On the morning of the trip, guess what I saw peeking out at me, from under the driver's seat ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Scrapers-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
Murphy's Law, proven once again.
The weather was coolish and gray. Fairly standard November weather. It was the day before Michigan's firearms deer season started. Many of the gas stations up here sell big bags of apples, potatoes and carrots that hunters put out as bait ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Deerfeed-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
What amazed me most of all was the size of some of the carrots. They were sold in 30-pound bags, and they had some monsters inside. How can I give you an idea of the size? I put my camera bag on the carrot bags ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Carrotbag-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
One of those could feed Bugs Bunny for a week.
As daylight started fading, we saw some wave action along the north shore of Lake Michigan ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg-Wavesdusk-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
And as we neared St. Ignace, the site of the match, we finally saw the Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan's peninsulas ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Bridgedusk-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
More on the bridge later.
We reserved our motel room and then went to the match. The girls played hard ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-FPdive-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Dblbump-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
And were they ever happy after getting the winning point, earning them a trip downstate!
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Happygirls-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
My wife and I celebrated by going out for a pizza. Then we went to take a look at the bridge, and I tried photos at night--without a tripod!
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Bridgenight-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
At the motel, we were amazed when we saw the sunrise and sunset times. Didn't make much sense to us ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-TWCsunset-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
We were tired and full of pizza, so we slept well. The wind picked up a lot during the night. We went back to "Bridge View Park" to take more photos in the morning, and the strong wind had the waters dancing ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Bridgewaves-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
When we looked more closely at the bridge, we saw big waves crashing around the abutments. Look at the water splashing here ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Bridgesplash-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
We headed back west, but the wave action along the beach was distracting. Big wave action, considering it's on inland lakes ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-WavesDay-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
Someday (in summer, of course), I'd like to get out in this kind of wave action and feel the hydraulic power all around me. The water is warm enough in late summer--it may even be over 60 degrees F! But since we live so far away (this is still about 200 miles away from our home, remember), it would have to be planned out over a weekend.
One last picture from our trip. Just a sign that says--if you read it a certain way--new and bizarre pasty recipes have been unleashed upon an unwary world ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/StIg07-Pasties-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
On the road again
Gas prices here currently stand at $3.30/gallon, and I'll be burning a bit of it this week.
We're deep into the fall sports playoffs now, and I have a pair of long drives ahead.
Today (Tuesday), I'm crossing the U.P. (about 235 miles) to St. Ignace, on the north end of the Mackinac Bridge, for the girls volleyball state quarterfinals. Our team won the regional championship on Saturday. If they win at St. Ignace Tuesday night (and I think they will), they continue downstate to the state semifinals and finals in Battle Creek. Another 280 miles away.
They may go down there, but I'm not. I'm staying in St. Ignace Tuesday night and driving home Wednesday--won't be crossing the bridge, at least not this week. The reason: There is a very good chance I'll have to drive down to Detroit for Thanksgiving Day. Our football team won its regional championship at the Superior Dome in Marquette last Saturday, and they play in the state semifinal game at the dome this Saturday. If they win, they'll play at Ford Field on the day after Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23.
That would be my fourth consecutive Thanksgiving spent on the road because of high school football. So it goes. I've written about that. It's out of my hands.
Anyway, with the prospect of a very long drive next week, no drive to Battle Creek. Sorry, girls. The bottom line for me is that there is more interest in high school football than volleyball, plain and simple. I always try to give the girls strong coverage--and I'll follow the team across the peninsula today. But it's not as if the paper has a lot of money, or that the local economy (ad revenue) is strong. I'll do the best I can--get a batch of fresh photos from the quarterfinals and use them in next week's paper, win or lose.
At least I'll have some company today--my wife is coming along. On Saturday, both my wife and son will go to Marquette. (David came along last Saturday.) It's nice to have company. The trips can get long otherwise.
I've got more to say, but it can wait. Within an hour, I'll be on the road.
We're deep into the fall sports playoffs now, and I have a pair of long drives ahead.
Today (Tuesday), I'm crossing the U.P. (about 235 miles) to St. Ignace, on the north end of the Mackinac Bridge, for the girls volleyball state quarterfinals. Our team won the regional championship on Saturday. If they win at St. Ignace Tuesday night (and I think they will), they continue downstate to the state semifinals and finals in Battle Creek. Another 280 miles away.
They may go down there, but I'm not. I'm staying in St. Ignace Tuesday night and driving home Wednesday--won't be crossing the bridge, at least not this week. The reason: There is a very good chance I'll have to drive down to Detroit for Thanksgiving Day. Our football team won its regional championship at the Superior Dome in Marquette last Saturday, and they play in the state semifinal game at the dome this Saturday. If they win, they'll play at Ford Field on the day after Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23.
That would be my fourth consecutive Thanksgiving spent on the road because of high school football. So it goes. I've written about that. It's out of my hands.
Anyway, with the prospect of a very long drive next week, no drive to Battle Creek. Sorry, girls. The bottom line for me is that there is more interest in high school football than volleyball, plain and simple. I always try to give the girls strong coverage--and I'll follow the team across the peninsula today. But it's not as if the paper has a lot of money, or that the local economy (ad revenue) is strong. I'll do the best I can--get a batch of fresh photos from the quarterfinals and use them in next week's paper, win or lose.
At least I'll have some company today--my wife is coming along. On Saturday, both my wife and son will go to Marquette. (David came along last Saturday.) It's nice to have company. The trips can get long otherwise.
I've got more to say, but it can wait. Within an hour, I'll be on the road.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Wheelchair wrestling
This past Wednesday turned out to be busier than I thought. It started getting very busy once I put on my jacket at about 2 p.m. and took "the rest of the day off."
Technically, I did. In reality ...
The main reason for the trip was to see my mom. I had visited her twice in the last couple weeks, but those were just fast visits during busy weeks, and I was alone both times. (Well, David was with me once; we had a playoff football game that night.)
This time my wife could come along, and we could visit a little longer. My mom was ready for us. First thing on her list: a new cord for her phone. Whoever had that phone earlier apparently played with the cord a lot, so it was all twisted up. Need a replacement.
She also hadn't gone out to supper for a few weeks, and the cool temperatures on Wednesday (just above freezing) weren't about to change her mind. She didn't have gloves (with her winter coat, which had not yet been brought out of storage), but she had a heavy sweater and a spring coat that she thought would be warm enough. Apparently it was.
My mom is 85 and goes around in a wheelchair. My car is small, so getting her anywhere involves a lot of wheelchair wrestling. Two phases: (1) getting her in and out of the car, and (2) getting the wheelchair in and out.
Step 1 is getting her to the front passenger door. Open it. Position the wheelchair right by the door. Lock the wheels. Help her slowly stand up. Then she has to get one foot inside the car. Then transfer her weight to the seat, bracing her hands on the car. Then pulling in the other foot. My wife buckles her in while I unlock the wheelchair wheels and move it to the back of the car.
Then it's time for Step 2. Open the trunk, of course. Lock the wheelchair's wheels. (It works so much better that way; took a lot of trial and error to discover that.) Remove the cushion from the wheelchair seat and back. (It folds up.) Collapse the wheelchair. Lift it over the tailgate and into the trunk, top edge first. Fit the wheels inside so the trunk will close. Put the cushions over it wherever there is space. Close the trunk. Whew!
Those steps are, of course, done in reverse order whenever she gets in and out of the car. My wife and I have gotten pretty good at that. My wife sits in the back seat, by the way, when my mom is in the co-pilot's seat.
So the first stop on Wedneday was to get a new phone cord. We stopped at K-Mart, and I ran inside--just a quick walk, find and pay--while my mom and wife stayed in the car. Then it was time for supper.
This time we decided to go to Subway, where we got her an oven-roasted chicken breast sandwich. She chose wheat bread and only one add-on: tomatoes. Six-inch size, but she had it cut in half--my wife and I split the other half. The verdict: She liked it a lot. She said it's better than the chicken at Hardee's, where we usually go, so we might go to Subway more in the future.
As we had supper, my mom asked that we stop at a dollar store; she needed new slippers. There was one a short distance away, so we got her packed back into the car, drove there, got her out of the car and inside.
(Of course, it's the whole manual of arms with the wheelchair each time. But for reasons of brevity ...)
The slippers there were no great shakes, but we went up and down the aisles for a while, looking at the various things they had. My mom came away with butter mints, some highlighter pens and something else I can't remember at the moment. While there, she remembered that she needs a calculator, too. The dollar store didn't have anything like that. "We may have some coming on the truck," said the girl.
Not soon enough. We paid for out stuff, got her packed back into the car, and I drove back to K-Mart, land of pocket calculators. This time, it was another solo trip; my wife and mom stayed in the car and talked, while I went inside, found a calculator that met my off-the-cuff criteria for a calculator for my mom: (1) small enough to be held on one hand; (2) large buttons; (3) large number display; (4) good contrast on the keys (white on black is hard to beat; and (5) was simple and fairly cheap. Found one for about $5, and that should fill the bill nicely.
From there, we took her back to the nursing home--she had been gallivanting around for two hours. Unpacked her from the car, wheeled her down to her room, talked for a few minutes, and then we had to leave--it was already after 7, and we had some shopping we had to do.
This time, over to Wal-Mart. My wife got some various groceries, while I walked around the electronics department and looked at all the cool stuff I won't be buying. In the end, I didn't get anything at all. We paid for the groceries, loaded them in the car and were ready to start driving home.
That's when I realized: I had forgotten one of my major priorities for this trip! A new ice scraper for the car! Somehow since last winter, my yellowish-green ice scraper has disappeared, and it has stayed well hidden despite a thorough search of the car, the trunk, even under the seats. With the first snow of winter a recent memory, I couldn't wait any longer.
So I ran back inside (my wife stayed in the car) and made the long walk to automotive. They didn't have the type of scraper I had before, but I found one that seems sturdy enough for many Northwoods mornings of scraping ice, snow and other types of frozen junk off the windshield and other windows.
(Scraping snow and ice and other junk is one of the duties of every driver in this part of the country. On CBC, when they play "Oh Canada" at the end of the broadcast day, they play a montage of shots about Canadian life. One of them is someone scraping a car window as winter howls around them. Beautiful. And entirely fitting.)
Finally, we hit the road for home. After about 10 miles, we ran into a snow shower, and it was snowing fairly heavily for a while--we had to turn off the brights. But the roads were OK, and the deer stayed on the grassy shoulders of the road. Good deer! Hope the hunters don't get you!
By the way, earlier in the day, we saw some deer in a field while driving to the nursing home, and they stayed there while I got a picture ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Deerfield-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
This was between my mom's house and the nursing home--almost exactly the same place where I hit a deer in October 2005, just after my mom went into the nursing home ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/DeerScene10-05.jpg[/IMG]
The two sites couldn't be more than 100 yards apart. Fortunately, these deer were satisfied just to look at us.
Technically, I did. In reality ...
The main reason for the trip was to see my mom. I had visited her twice in the last couple weeks, but those were just fast visits during busy weeks, and I was alone both times. (Well, David was with me once; we had a playoff football game that night.)
This time my wife could come along, and we could visit a little longer. My mom was ready for us. First thing on her list: a new cord for her phone. Whoever had that phone earlier apparently played with the cord a lot, so it was all twisted up. Need a replacement.
She also hadn't gone out to supper for a few weeks, and the cool temperatures on Wednesday (just above freezing) weren't about to change her mind. She didn't have gloves (with her winter coat, which had not yet been brought out of storage), but she had a heavy sweater and a spring coat that she thought would be warm enough. Apparently it was.
My mom is 85 and goes around in a wheelchair. My car is small, so getting her anywhere involves a lot of wheelchair wrestling. Two phases: (1) getting her in and out of the car, and (2) getting the wheelchair in and out.
Step 1 is getting her to the front passenger door. Open it. Position the wheelchair right by the door. Lock the wheels. Help her slowly stand up. Then she has to get one foot inside the car. Then transfer her weight to the seat, bracing her hands on the car. Then pulling in the other foot. My wife buckles her in while I unlock the wheelchair wheels and move it to the back of the car.
Then it's time for Step 2. Open the trunk, of course. Lock the wheelchair's wheels. (It works so much better that way; took a lot of trial and error to discover that.) Remove the cushion from the wheelchair seat and back. (It folds up.) Collapse the wheelchair. Lift it over the tailgate and into the trunk, top edge first. Fit the wheels inside so the trunk will close. Put the cushions over it wherever there is space. Close the trunk. Whew!
Those steps are, of course, done in reverse order whenever she gets in and out of the car. My wife and I have gotten pretty good at that. My wife sits in the back seat, by the way, when my mom is in the co-pilot's seat.
So the first stop on Wedneday was to get a new phone cord. We stopped at K-Mart, and I ran inside--just a quick walk, find and pay--while my mom and wife stayed in the car. Then it was time for supper.
This time we decided to go to Subway, where we got her an oven-roasted chicken breast sandwich. She chose wheat bread and only one add-on: tomatoes. Six-inch size, but she had it cut in half--my wife and I split the other half. The verdict: She liked it a lot. She said it's better than the chicken at Hardee's, where we usually go, so we might go to Subway more in the future.
As we had supper, my mom asked that we stop at a dollar store; she needed new slippers. There was one a short distance away, so we got her packed back into the car, drove there, got her out of the car and inside.
(Of course, it's the whole manual of arms with the wheelchair each time. But for reasons of brevity ...)
The slippers there were no great shakes, but we went up and down the aisles for a while, looking at the various things they had. My mom came away with butter mints, some highlighter pens and something else I can't remember at the moment. While there, she remembered that she needs a calculator, too. The dollar store didn't have anything like that. "We may have some coming on the truck," said the girl.
Not soon enough. We paid for out stuff, got her packed back into the car, and I drove back to K-Mart, land of pocket calculators. This time, it was another solo trip; my wife and mom stayed in the car and talked, while I went inside, found a calculator that met my off-the-cuff criteria for a calculator for my mom: (1) small enough to be held on one hand; (2) large buttons; (3) large number display; (4) good contrast on the keys (white on black is hard to beat; and (5) was simple and fairly cheap. Found one for about $5, and that should fill the bill nicely.
From there, we took her back to the nursing home--she had been gallivanting around for two hours. Unpacked her from the car, wheeled her down to her room, talked for a few minutes, and then we had to leave--it was already after 7, and we had some shopping we had to do.
This time, over to Wal-Mart. My wife got some various groceries, while I walked around the electronics department and looked at all the cool stuff I won't be buying. In the end, I didn't get anything at all. We paid for the groceries, loaded them in the car and were ready to start driving home.
That's when I realized: I had forgotten one of my major priorities for this trip! A new ice scraper for the car! Somehow since last winter, my yellowish-green ice scraper has disappeared, and it has stayed well hidden despite a thorough search of the car, the trunk, even under the seats. With the first snow of winter a recent memory, I couldn't wait any longer.
So I ran back inside (my wife stayed in the car) and made the long walk to automotive. They didn't have the type of scraper I had before, but I found one that seems sturdy enough for many Northwoods mornings of scraping ice, snow and other types of frozen junk off the windshield and other windows.
(Scraping snow and ice and other junk is one of the duties of every driver in this part of the country. On CBC, when they play "Oh Canada" at the end of the broadcast day, they play a montage of shots about Canadian life. One of them is someone scraping a car window as winter howls around them. Beautiful. And entirely fitting.)
Finally, we hit the road for home. After about 10 miles, we ran into a snow shower, and it was snowing fairly heavily for a while--we had to turn off the brights. But the roads were OK, and the deer stayed on the grassy shoulders of the road. Good deer! Hope the hunters don't get you!
By the way, earlier in the day, we saw some deer in a field while driving to the nursing home, and they stayed there while I got a picture ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Deerfield-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
This was between my mom's house and the nursing home--almost exactly the same place where I hit a deer in October 2005, just after my mom went into the nursing home ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/DeerScene10-05.jpg[/IMG]
The two sites couldn't be more than 100 yards apart. Fortunately, these deer were satisfied just to look at us.
Monday, November 5, 2007
A short break in the action
This will be brief. I just wanted to show you something.
This was taken from the sidewalk in front of my front door at about 5 p.m. today, looking towards the middle school located a block away ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Firstsnow-front-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
And here is the view from my back porch at the same time. You can easily see the sidewalk and my car ... can't you?
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Firstsnow-back-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
Yes, I'm afraid it's true. Winter has caught up to us at last. We had some brief periods of snow and wind at times during the day, but it quickly melted. Then, towards the evening, a heavier band arrived, and that's what you see here. It's been snowing on and off since then. I guess we have about an inch of wet snow right at the moment, and it's supposed to continue overnight. Since it's so wet, it probably will be gone within 48 hours, but the snowflakes will come more often.
At least I didn't have to drive around in it--this time, anyway. I got to stay home and relax for a while, watched a movie with my wife, and now I'm doing a little writing.
This week will be much less frantic than last week. The football and volleyball playoffs are both on hold until Saturday; so I won't have to run anywhere in the evening. They both resume action at the same time, about 100 miles away from each other, so I'll have to pick one or the other. I'll also work on some basketball previews--that will be starting around the end of November.
It's a quiet week. I can stand it. It's very welcome.
This was taken from the sidewalk in front of my front door at about 5 p.m. today, looking towards the middle school located a block away ...
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Firstsnow-front-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
And here is the view from my back porch at the same time. You can easily see the sidewalk and my car ... can't you?
[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/drdog/Firstsnow-back-11-07.jpg[/IMG]
Yes, I'm afraid it's true. Winter has caught up to us at last. We had some brief periods of snow and wind at times during the day, but it quickly melted. Then, towards the evening, a heavier band arrived, and that's what you see here. It's been snowing on and off since then. I guess we have about an inch of wet snow right at the moment, and it's supposed to continue overnight. Since it's so wet, it probably will be gone within 48 hours, but the snowflakes will come more often.
At least I didn't have to drive around in it--this time, anyway. I got to stay home and relax for a while, watched a movie with my wife, and now I'm doing a little writing.
This week will be much less frantic than last week. The football and volleyball playoffs are both on hold until Saturday; so I won't have to run anywhere in the evening. They both resume action at the same time, about 100 miles away from each other, so I'll have to pick one or the other. I'll also work on some basketball previews--that will be starting around the end of November.
It's a quiet week. I can stand it. It's very welcome.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Anything can happen
Well, it's been ... interesting, all right.
This has been a weekend with very little spare time for the things I wanted to do, including keep up with your blog posts. The magic number has just crossed the two dozen mark. Maybe I can start slicing into that number later tonight. But I wanted to get this out first.
On Friday, it was the football playoff game. Saturday, I was at the volleyball district tournament for most of the afternoon. When I got back home, David was here. It was his birthday, and we had gifts for him. But he didn't want them--not until Sunday. Whatever.
We took him out to dinner. Then, after getting home, we watched a movie with him. Then, he asked me to drive him home (he wore a jacket that was too light for the weather). After that, my wife wanted to watch a movie with me. And we did. It was a 1940s-era movie about a dog. She went to bed. I stayed up for a little while--finally got to watch some hockey--but not long. The last few days have been pretty exhausting, what with an all-day trip for the medical tests and volleyball tourney on Thursday; a regular day of work and a football game Friday night; some frantic writing, another volleyball tourney, dinner out and movies on Saturday.
David came back Sunday to watch the Packers game with us; we gave him his gifts at halftime: a "Transformers" DVD, a PSP game and a new camera--I had promised I would help him buy a new one after his old one died on him. My wife sat next to me on the couch during the second half, fell asleep during the fourth quarter and stayed asleep until halftime of the second game. After she woke up, she remembered that we we had to go out and get some groceries.
That's because the weather here is going to get ugly. On Monday and Monday night, we're supposed to get 2 to 4 inches of snow, and it's supposed to be coming down sideways--high winds from the northwest, with gusts as high as 45 mph (72 km/hr) during the day. Parts of the U.P. closer to Lake Superior are forecast to get as much as 12 inches (30 cm).
Both our teams won, by the way, and their next games will both be taking place in the Winter Storm Warning areas. Of course, that isn't until late this week, but it's something to think about. This time of year, after all, anything can happen.
I'll try to get caught up on blog alerts over the next couple days. My schedule quiets down for a few days. Then, next Friday and Saturday, I will be extremely busy with a pair of long trips out of town. One extreme to another.
As for anything can happen--here is proof of it. It came in an e-mail from my friend, S, a few days ago:
[QUOTE]My posting and blogging may be sparse for awhile. A few mornings ago I leashed up the dogs and headed out the front door to walk them. They bolted! All I can figure is that they saw a squirrel. My seven concrete steps suddenly became two doozies, and I went flying. Still not sure if it was the humble ornamental donkey in the front yard or a tombstone that got me on my upper lip on the way down. The impact caused abundant swelling, some great facial bruises and my blue eyes became highlighted by a background of solid red. It was almost Halloween and I got my mask for free! :)
Then I realized I couldn't get up. Not a good sign. We had decorated the front yard in tombstones as a Halloween treat for the grandkids and, there I was, laid out between rows 1 and 2. Started yelling for the hubby (he had been dressing). Out he comes in his underwear to assist me (I sure do love that man) ... and I'm telling him to go find the dogs. Choosing my problem over theirs for the moment, he tried to get me up. It was a no-go. As he headed for the house to call an ambulance, one dog returned and went in with him. Looked like the squirrel chase was over, so I figured the other would return shortly. Sure enough, by the time my husband dialed 911, pulled on some pants and grabbed a blanket to keep me warm, the second dog came trotting home. That was a big relief, because I would not have agreed to go anywhere until I knew they were safe.
Within minutes, the ambulance guys pulled up and located me lounging amongst the tombstones and one pipes up, "Well, if that isn't fitting...or...maybe not". I responded, "Yeah, where's the video camera when you need it?" They hoisted me onto the gurney and into the ambulance, where I proceeded to go on the ambulance ride from hell. You'd think they'd make those things so they rode smooth and didn't bounce. They'd better not try doing any circumcisions in the back of that thing!
Well, I won't even go into the whole hospital experience. Let it suffice to say that it lacked in entertainment value. Thankfully, my face was just colorful, but there was no major damage. My right leg was not so fortunate. It was fractured, and I won't be able to bear any weight on it for six weeks. They also had to do surgery to drain off the excess fluid, blood and marrow. Can you say 'elephant's knee'? In computer terms, this translates to at least a week or so of little or no activity. However, the good news (or not) is that once I get past the worst of the pain in a week or so, I'll be able to write frequently once again and plague you all with my weird sense of humor on a regular basis. Now isn't that something to look forward to?
Have a great week, and look out for squirrels![/QUOTE]
Well, of course, I worry about her. I wrote her a reply the next day, but it bounced. "Permanent fatal errors." I tried again. Same thing. I tried again. No bounce notice this time. I'm guessing it went through, but I'm not sure.
Today I sent her a egreeting.com funny get well card. I didn't get a bounce notice. I am tempted to phone her, but I really don't want to do anything that would force her to get up, since her leg is probably pretty painful right now.
So I'll sit here and wish that she keeps her leg elevated and that her recovery is quick and uneventful.
This has been a weekend with very little spare time for the things I wanted to do, including keep up with your blog posts. The magic number has just crossed the two dozen mark. Maybe I can start slicing into that number later tonight. But I wanted to get this out first.
On Friday, it was the football playoff game. Saturday, I was at the volleyball district tournament for most of the afternoon. When I got back home, David was here. It was his birthday, and we had gifts for him. But he didn't want them--not until Sunday. Whatever.
We took him out to dinner. Then, after getting home, we watched a movie with him. Then, he asked me to drive him home (he wore a jacket that was too light for the weather). After that, my wife wanted to watch a movie with me. And we did. It was a 1940s-era movie about a dog. She went to bed. I stayed up for a little while--finally got to watch some hockey--but not long. The last few days have been pretty exhausting, what with an all-day trip for the medical tests and volleyball tourney on Thursday; a regular day of work and a football game Friday night; some frantic writing, another volleyball tourney, dinner out and movies on Saturday.
David came back Sunday to watch the Packers game with us; we gave him his gifts at halftime: a "Transformers" DVD, a PSP game and a new camera--I had promised I would help him buy a new one after his old one died on him. My wife sat next to me on the couch during the second half, fell asleep during the fourth quarter and stayed asleep until halftime of the second game. After she woke up, she remembered that we we had to go out and get some groceries.
That's because the weather here is going to get ugly. On Monday and Monday night, we're supposed to get 2 to 4 inches of snow, and it's supposed to be coming down sideways--high winds from the northwest, with gusts as high as 45 mph (72 km/hr) during the day. Parts of the U.P. closer to Lake Superior are forecast to get as much as 12 inches (30 cm).
Both our teams won, by the way, and their next games will both be taking place in the Winter Storm Warning areas. Of course, that isn't until late this week, but it's something to think about. This time of year, after all, anything can happen.
I'll try to get caught up on blog alerts over the next couple days. My schedule quiets down for a few days. Then, next Friday and Saturday, I will be extremely busy with a pair of long trips out of town. One extreme to another.
As for anything can happen--here is proof of it. It came in an e-mail from my friend, S, a few days ago:
[QUOTE]My posting and blogging may be sparse for awhile. A few mornings ago I leashed up the dogs and headed out the front door to walk them. They bolted! All I can figure is that they saw a squirrel. My seven concrete steps suddenly became two doozies, and I went flying. Still not sure if it was the humble ornamental donkey in the front yard or a tombstone that got me on my upper lip on the way down. The impact caused abundant swelling, some great facial bruises and my blue eyes became highlighted by a background of solid red. It was almost Halloween and I got my mask for free! :)
Then I realized I couldn't get up. Not a good sign. We had decorated the front yard in tombstones as a Halloween treat for the grandkids and, there I was, laid out between rows 1 and 2. Started yelling for the hubby (he had been dressing). Out he comes in his underwear to assist me (I sure do love that man) ... and I'm telling him to go find the dogs. Choosing my problem over theirs for the moment, he tried to get me up. It was a no-go. As he headed for the house to call an ambulance, one dog returned and went in with him. Looked like the squirrel chase was over, so I figured the other would return shortly. Sure enough, by the time my husband dialed 911, pulled on some pants and grabbed a blanket to keep me warm, the second dog came trotting home. That was a big relief, because I would not have agreed to go anywhere until I knew they were safe.
Within minutes, the ambulance guys pulled up and located me lounging amongst the tombstones and one pipes up, "Well, if that isn't fitting...or...maybe not". I responded, "Yeah, where's the video camera when you need it?" They hoisted me onto the gurney and into the ambulance, where I proceeded to go on the ambulance ride from hell. You'd think they'd make those things so they rode smooth and didn't bounce. They'd better not try doing any circumcisions in the back of that thing!
Well, I won't even go into the whole hospital experience. Let it suffice to say that it lacked in entertainment value. Thankfully, my face was just colorful, but there was no major damage. My right leg was not so fortunate. It was fractured, and I won't be able to bear any weight on it for six weeks. They also had to do surgery to drain off the excess fluid, blood and marrow. Can you say 'elephant's knee'? In computer terms, this translates to at least a week or so of little or no activity. However, the good news (or not) is that once I get past the worst of the pain in a week or so, I'll be able to write frequently once again and plague you all with my weird sense of humor on a regular basis. Now isn't that something to look forward to?
Have a great week, and look out for squirrels![/QUOTE]
Well, of course, I worry about her. I wrote her a reply the next day, but it bounced. "Permanent fatal errors." I tried again. Same thing. I tried again. No bounce notice this time. I'm guessing it went through, but I'm not sure.
Today I sent her a egreeting.com funny get well card. I didn't get a bounce notice. I am tempted to phone her, but I really don't want to do anything that would force her to get up, since her leg is probably pretty painful right now.
So I'll sit here and wish that she keeps her leg elevated and that her recovery is quick and uneventful.
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