I gave myself an Idiot Award today.
Here's what happened.
My husband phoned before 9 a.m., mad as a hornet because a hot air balloon had drifted over the farm while he was trying to round up cattle to take to market.
The cattle stampeded and ran all over the place, causing him untold misery while he huffed and puffed and chased them every which a way. Hot air ballooning can be a problem sometimes for farmers.
He was not a happy camper.
When he called, he wanted the number of the county administrator's office so he could lodge a complaint.
"They're probably not in, today is a holiday," I told him. (This is very important to note for my Idiot Award.)
After listening to much muttering and fussing from him, I hung up the phone. I had to be at a ground-breaking ceremony for an article for the newspaper at 10 a.m. It was about a quarter to nine.
I decided to hustle to the newspaper office, which is five miles away (and in the other direction) to quickly take care of some business.
I breezed in the office just after 9 a.m. The editor was not yet in and I needed a word with him. I made some copies, bothered the typesetter, and then decided to leave.
I thought I'd go to the library and get a new book on tape.
I pulled in the library lot. Silly me. The library was closed.
Of course! It's a HOLIDAY.
What to do, what to do. I had 45 minutes to kill until I had someplace to be.
I know, I thought, I'll go to the grocery store and just not buy anything that needs refrigeration. So I sped down the road.
A few miles passed and I thought, Oh! I forgot the checks I need to put in the bank! I'd better do that.
So I turned down a road that would take me back towards my house, and off I went to home. I had just enough time, I thought.
I raced in the house and began filling out the bank deposit slips. As soon as I dated the form, I realized ... the banks are closed.
IT IS A HOLIDAY.
(I realize I could have used the ATM but I am old fashioned in that way. Don't use the ATM, don't pay the bills online. Hard to change my ways.)
So. By this time I was pretty sure I had the Idiot Award sewed up.
I hustled off to my ground-breaking, took my pictures, talked to the folks. Headed back home, stopped by the grocery, ran through there quickly.
I was home by lunch time.
My husband came in, still muttering about the hot air balloon. He asked about my morning and I told him, somewhat exasperated, about my forgetting about the holiday.
Then, as he was leaving, I reminded him to check the mail.
He looked at me funny. "The mail doesn't run today," he reminded me.
IT IS A HOLIDAY.
At that point, I gave myself the Idiot Award, and he laughed at me.
I laughed too. What else was there to do?
Yes, I kept forgetting as well seeing that I had my teeth cleaned today and they were all in there working as if there was no day off for others.
ReplyDeleteDoes the hot air balloon fly low? Are the cows that afraid? That is so interesting. It is another example of nature and man colliding, but for man's entertainment, (I assume).
Paying on line makes life real easy.
Of course, you were working so hard it's easy to see why you forgot it was a holiday!
ReplyDeleteSince I checked my mailbox five times yesterday before I remembered the holiday, I think I deserve the Idiot Award, too!
ReplyDeleteI had never thought of the impact that hot air balloons could have on farmers, but you have enlightened me, Dew. Too bad the pilots are not all considerate of that fact. When we lived in Roanoke in a city subdivision with the houses packed tightly, a hot air balloon landed right in the street in front of our house, narrowly missing our house. My husband ran out to help the guy get hold of and control his balloon in the windy weather. He helped him for at least 15 minutes, but the guy never acknowledged him or thanked him.
Never thought about the cows, but makes sense. As for being an idiot...I do the same thing, but I call it being retired! :-) Sometimes I lose track of the days...of course, you started out by acknowledging that it was a holiday, so I guess that's a little different: too much multi-tasking!
ReplyDeleteAll - the hot air balloon lets off a "whoosh" sound when the fires are emitted that frightens the cows. It is a sound in the lower bass registers and on a still day can be very loud regardless of how high or low the balloon may be. The noise frightens the cows for whatever reason and they run. Hot air balloons also upset dogs, I guess for the same reason.
ReplyDeleteEven worse, I bet there were some county officials around when you were covering the ceremony that you could have buttonholed :-)
ReplyDeleteEvery day is an idiot day for me, so I'm sympathetic.