I honestly didn’t remember anything about the first Saturday of the month… then it slowly came back with a few hints. This article’s been in mind since Sunday, but in keeping with life these days, I haven’t gotten/taken time and space to write it until now.
October ended with a mostly incognito birthday, my 53rd. My folks blessed me with gifts when I went to Columbus to get some of my winter gear after the first temperature drop in mid October. My host and I treated each other to birthday dinners, one at Olive Garden and one at Chuy’s, and a friend from the church treated us to lunch at Richard’s in celebration of both. Long-time friends sent messages on Facebook. Altogether, it was better than last year’s birthday, the day we buried my aunt. Fair enough, I spiced up one of her incognito birthdays by getting tossed into the hospital for a week.
On the 31st, I gathered with writing friends for our annual Nanoween, festivities and a countdown at midnight, when Nanowrimo (.com) can officially begin. The theme was Disney, complete with Maleficent, Regina Mills, and a new Disney acquisition, Tony Stark of the Marvel universe. I had to dig a little, but came up with being an extra in a Herbie the Love Bug movie. I was a 1960’s hippie at the office festivities — I still don’t know which team won the prize for best decor, but there were some creative contenders.
Friday Nov 1, I packed my gear from the write-in about 3am and headed for the motel of the week. That’s how I’m managing to be at the new job each morning and not risk falling asleep on the ride home each evening. An expensive trade, but worth it considering the current options, which now include snow and ice. After my eight or so hours at work, I left the office to discover a flat – extremely flat – tire on my car. A call to AAA and a giving of thanks that I subscribed again. I’m capable of changing a flat, but wasn’t dressed for it.
The gentleman who showed up to tend my car pointed out a concern with a long piece of metal behind the tire assembly and said “that’s about to break.” Charming. Visions of snapping an axle in the center lane of 70mph traffic trying to get to work on a snowy morning – gotta love it. First things first, deal with the tire, then call the mechanic Monday.
Retorquing the lug nuts, priority one, was easily accomplished at the nearby Walmart. They’d open at 7am to deal with the flat in the trunk. I didn’t realize the error of sleeping past 7 on Saturday until I arrived to the news that they had a 4 hour wait. I made arrangements to take the car to the Walmart near the ministry office, where I could get in some hours with the junior me who’s keeping things going smoothly. That Walmart also had a 4 hour wait. Somewhere halfway into getting things done, the phone rang… mom had news that my uncle passed away.
Explaining what Columbus Waller means to me, or to the rest of the family, takes longer than a blog article. There are memories and reasons and just…because… When it comes time to explain what Mary Waller means, there simply are no words, nor signs. One answer is, they’ve been the patriarch & matriarch of the family for somewhat near 30 years. Others of the 14 original siblings died relatively young, mostly in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Laughs, quips, hugs, and so much more are just the beginning of our relationship. It would have been worth the $800+ to buy a plane ticket, even the one that went from Indiana to Florida by way of Colorado, but it wouldn’t ultimately be the way to honor my aunt & uncle. Frankly, he’d haunt me and she’d wring my neck. So, I missed the funeral, and I hate that. I sent my love ahead, and bought a more economical ticket. Next Saturday I have an airport check-in at 5am for a direct flight to Florida.
Meanwhile, back at Walmart… they decided the flat tire was irreparable, then tried to figure out why I’d want to replace the spare. “Lady, that spare you’ve got is the best tire on the whole car!” I finally remembered, one of the 2014 new tires fell victim to road construction in 2016 and was replaced. In 2017, all four tires were replaced, with the circa 2016 tire going to the spare position. So now, the barely used 2016 tire is on the car with three aging 2017 tires. Whatever. I’m thankful that nothing has been bad enough to cause a wreck, and I was actually done at the shop for less time and money than I expected to spend. The tire in the trunk is still flat, but we’ll deal with that later.
Monday, I called the mechanic, and Tuesday he checked out the AAA guy’s concern. Rack & pinion steering will be the next thing to go wrong with the car, though not an immediate concern. He agrees with my folks’ recommendation to start looking for the next vehicle. It turns out that a coworker’s husband takes great joy in finding the best deals on vehicles, one more reason to give thanks. Also, my host’s pastor has a connection with a particular dealership, and there may be a not-too-obnoxious option there. We’ll see.
The recent weekend was spent in apartment hunting and checking in on my host. This week started with a rude intro to winter, and again I’m thankful – I have lodging within walking distance of the office and I collected my winter wear in mid-October. Then, another phone call… a long-time dear friend has passed away. Her funeral services will be held in Columbus, OH this weekend. I’ll be in Florida, hugging my aunt.
I’ve said a few times recently that I feel like a marble in a Hungry Hungry Hippos game. It remains a most accurate metaphor for November 2019, so far.