A Quiet Independence Day

We had my mother-in-law up for hot dogs and watermelon at lunch yesterday. 

Then later, my father called and said he had a bag of plums he'd picked for me. He has plum trees. So we ran over to his house and stayed for about an hour, chit-chatting.

Then we drove from there to Fincastle, where we sat on Main Street for a while. The reason was to hear the sound of the Botetourt County Courthouse bell.

The bells in town, including church bells, had been asked to be rung 13 times for the 13 original colonies of the United States. It was part of a statewide initiative to jumpstart the celebration for the country's 250th anniversary, which is only 18 months away.

The Botetourt County Courthouse is slated for demolition and who knows when this bell - or if this bell - will ring again. That was the main reason I went to hear it. 

It's a sound that may never be heard again.

Thursday Thirteen

 Happy Independence Day!

______________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 867th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Silent Running

 

Happy Birthday, Dad

Today is my father's birthday. He is 83.

My mother, my father, me, and my brother
 on the day of my wedding.

My father sang in a band. Still does.

The younger version of my father with his kids.

My father and brother at Dad's 80th birthday party.

My father dancing with my stepmother.

My father enjoying the outdoors in 2021.

This is MY Blog

My blog serves as my personal sanctuary where I can express my thoughts, share my experiences, and work on creative pieces as I see fit. My blog is a unique extension of myself. This is a space where I can formulate ideas and perspectives. Sometimes, it is hard work. 

But it is MY work, my opinion, and my expression.

When I write a blog post, I create original content that is automatically protected by copyright law. I also have a copyright notice on my blog. Copyright is a form of intellectual property that grants me, the creator, exclusive rights to my work. This means:

Exclusive Rights: I have the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, perform, and display my blog content. No one can legally copy or republish my posts without my permission. That means if you share much of the content of my blog, like a paragraph, you have not only violated the law, but you have also stolen from me, and you have violated me. (That doesn't mean you can't share a post, but it's nice to be asked first if I mind if it is shared. Sometimes I mind.)

Protection from Theft: Unauthorized use of my blog content constitutes copyright infringement. Plagiarism— taking someone’s work and passing it off as their own — is not just unethical; it’s illegal.

Monetary Rights: I hold the potential to monetize my blog. Whether through advertisements, sponsorships, or selling my content, copyright ensures that any financial benefits derived from my blog go to me.

My blog is a reflection of my unique voice. My opinions are my own, shaped by my experiences, beliefs, and values. When my individuality is disrespected, I feel violated. I feel voiceless. I feel like I have had my larynx removed.

I don't mind constructive criticism. It comes with the public part of this form of social media. However, to get here, you have to want to come here. My blog is not in anyone's face (like on Facebook). If you are reading my blog, you have made that choice. I haven't pushed my opinions upon you.

So please remember that my blog is my domain. I have the right to express my thoughts without fear of being unduly called out or censored.

I have been writing this blog since 2006, and I have been writing for the public since 1984 - 40 years. I realize this blog and writing in general can be a powerful tool for personal expression and creativity. I cherish the hard work I have put in here, and it is personal to me.

If you like what you read here, sit a spell and I welcome you. But if you don't like what you read here, then please don't come back. And please do not comment or write me privately and try to encroach upon my voice and my freedom of speech because you disagree.

And if you threaten me, I will have the law track you down.

Sunday Stealing

 

1. Have you traveled abroad? Where have you been? If you haven't been overseas, which country would you most like to visit?

A. When I was in high school, I visited Spain and France as part of a school trip. We went to Madrid and took a passenger train to Paris, France.

2. Where did you go on your last trip? Talk about where you went and what you did.

A. My last trip was into the city. I went to the bookstore, the vitamin store, ate lunch, and stopped at the farm supply store on the way back. Oh yeah, and I stopped at CVS.

3. What is the best place for a vacation in your country? Why is it good?

A. I think that question can only be answered by the person planning the vacation. Some people like beaches, some people don't. Some people like cities, some people don't. The United States has a little bit of everything, from beaches to mountains, canyons to geysers, rural landscapes to large cities.

4. What is the longest time you have been away from home? Did you feel homesick?

A. I think the longest time I have ever been away from home is a week. I am always ready to come back home when the journey is over.

5. How long should a vacation be? How long does it take you to really relax?

A. I honestly need at least a week to relax, a week to enjoy, another week to prepare to come back home, and then a week at home, but I have never had that. I just know that is what I would like to have.

6. What forms of transportation do you prefer to use when you travel?

A. We drive a car.

7. How do you choose where to go? Are you inspired by other people's travel stories? Or photos? Or advertising?

A. We choose to go in part by where we've been and enjoyed, and in part by curiosity. I really like historic sites.

8. What's more important to you when you travel - comfort and relaxation, or stimulating new experiences?

A. Comfort and relaxation with an occasional bit of stimulation.

9. Do you like to try local foods when you go somewhere? Have you ever had something really delicious?

A. My husband tends to lean towards the chains for meals because they are reliable. The last time we were at the beach we discovered that all of our favorite restaurants had closed (that was in 2019, pre-pandemic).

10. Things can go wrong when you travel. Have you had any bad travel experiences?

A. The worst vacation as an adult was in 1989. We had reservations to stay in Virginia Beach. The week before we were to leave, there was a riot there. We called and were told everything was fine at the hotel we were to stay at. What they didn't tell us was that most of the power was out in downtown Virginia Beach. So, we arrived at the hotel to find it running on a generator, with no air conditioning and no elevator. I think we were the only guests. We asked if we could have a fan and were told no. The accommodations were horrible. Across the street, another hotel had power and was doing fine. About 11 p.m., I couldn't stand it anymore. It was hot and humid, and I was having trouble breathing from it. I called across the street to see if they had a vacancy, and they said sure, come on over. I went down and told the guy at the desk we were leaving, and he was giving us a full refund. When he refused, I started coughing and said, "I'm having an asthma attack. I can go to the hospital and send you the bill or you can give us our refund." We got the refund, I used my inhaler, and we went across the street. I don't remember much about the rest of the trip. We did not go back to Virginia Beach for about 20 years after that.

11. Do you take a lot with you when you travel? Or do you try to pack light?

A. I try to pack light, but it seems we end up with a fully loaded car when we go somewhere. By the time I have to pack my special pillow wedge, and take along an air purifier (yes, I do that), along with clothes, we fill the trunk and then some.

12. Which places in the world do you think are too dangerous to visit? Why are they dangerous?

A. Anywhere there is a war going on is dangerous for obvious reasons. Any place that is not nice to women I would find unacceptable. 

13. What is the best age to travel? Can children appreciate the experience?

A. I think it is ok for children to travel but unless they're 10 or older they aren't going to remember much about it. Most of the places I saw even when I was a teenager, I would like to go back and see as an adult because I know I would better appreciate it now. The trick is not to get too old.

14. What are the advantages and disadvantages of traveling alone?

A. I have no idea. I've never traveled alone.

15. What kind of accommodation do you like to stay in when you travel?

A. We usually stay in a no-pet, no-smoking facility, but those are becoming hard to come by. Hampton Inn used to be reliable that way, but they have started allowing pets.

16. Do you like to talk to the local people when you travel? Why or why not?

A. I like to strike up a chat just to see what people think about their area. I think it's the reporter in me.

17. Would you like to go to a big international event, such as the Olympics or an international film festival? What would be good or bad about attending such an event?

A. I do not do well at big events. I do not like crowds.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: People

Saturday 9: People (1964)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Barbra Streisand sings that pride can get in the way of happy relationships. Have you found that to be true?

A. I think it depends on the people and what they feel pride about. I am not so sure that what she calls "pride" in the song is actually pride. It's more a like a facade she's talking about, the one we all wear to keep that little six-year-old in our head from coming out and crying.

2) The photo on the record sleeve was taken on Chicago's Oak Street Beach, as Barbra watches the sun rise over Lake Michigan. Have you been to the beach yet this summer?

A. No. I don't expect to go, either.

3) Barbra performed "People" more than 1,350 times when she played Fanny Brice onstage in Funny Girl. She also did it in her Oscar-winning turn as Fanny in the film version. She performed it in her first TV special back in 1964 and in at least 510 concerts since. That's a lot of "People!" Can you think of another performer who has/had a song that is so identified with them you can't imagine seeing them in concert without hearing it?

A. Start Me Up by the Rolling Stones would be one I would expect to hear from them. I would expect to hear Night Moves from Bob Seger. I would have expected to hear My Way at an Elvis Presley concert. I would expect to hear the Theme from Titanic at a Celine Dion concert.

4) Barbra got her first pet, a poodle named Sadie, as a gift from the Funny Girl behind-the-scenes crew when she was 23 years old, and she's had dogs in her life ever since. Did you have pets when you were growing up?

A. We had many dogs when I was growing up. The first ones I remember were two Dalmatians, Prince and Princess. At least one of them was run over by the milk truck (which I saw happen - I was about 4); I'm not sure what happened to the other. We had a poodle named Heidi who had puppies, and one of those we kept; his name was Major. We had a collie mix named Schooner. Around the time I married my mother picked up two dogs; one was named Trixie and the other was Clipper, I think. Not 100% sure about that, I wasn't around those dogs much. My parents had one other dog later that bit me in the leg; I don't even remember its name. My husband and I had an Eskimo-Spitz/Terrier mix dog named Ginger that lived for 17 years (which is a very long life for a dog). She stayed outside because of my allergies, and I did not get another dog when she died because I knew I could not have one inside. Ginger much preferred to be outside; she hated it when I made her come into the garage on frigid nights.

5) Barbra has always taken her Jewish faith seriously, beginning with her days at the Yeshiva of Brooklyn. 70 years later, her old school is still there. How about your grammar school? Does it still stand?

A. Yes, it does.

6) She tried marijuana a couple times but didn't like it and the only alcohol she drinks is the occasional beer with her Chinese food. Are you like Barbra and generally abstain? Or do you enjoy pot and/or alcohol?

A. I abstain.

7) Barbra's favorite lunch is a bowl of Campbell's condensed tomato soup. If we were to peek into your pantry, would we find any canned soup?

A. Yes, you'd find cream of celery, cream of mushroom, and chicken with rice soup.

8) In 1964, when this song was popular, hats were, too. The Sears Spring/Summer catalog devoted six pages to ladies hats and two pages to mens. Are hats part of your wardrobe?

A. Not usually, no. I wore hats when I was younger, but I stopped wearing them after I married.

9) Random question: Which of your personality traits has gotten you in the most trouble?

A. All of them.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Thursday Thirteen

Things around me that I can see:

1. A glass of water.

2. My cell phone.

3. A calendar.

4. A clock.

5. At least 4 notebooks.

6. Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm, Ayr Saline Nasal Mist, Doctor's Brush Picks, Bach Rescue Remedy, a box of tissues, a pack of Extra gum

7. I can see 9 books that I haven't read. Wait, 10, there's one buried.

8. Lots of recent newspapers, most with my byline.

9. A staple remover and a stapler.

10. A Thanksgiving card that is the last thing I received from my friend before she passed away.

11. Cameras and a pair of binoculars.

12. Three guitars.

13. A pair of scissors and Elmer's Glue.

What does this tell you about me, I wonder?

______________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 866th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Hate Crime Update

Update:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--

SUSPECT IDENTIFIED IN SPORTS COMPLEX SPRAY PAINTING VANDALISM

FINCASTLE, VA – The Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office has been investigating incidents of vandalism and threats to harm. The investigation was initiated on Saturday, April 27, 2024.

On April 27, 2024, Deputies responded to a report of graffiti vandalism at the entrance to Greenfield Elementary School and the Botetourt County Sports Complex. Deputies found numerous words spray painted on the roadway stating, “F**K AMERICA” and “BOTETORT F**KS ITS CITIZENS”. 

At approximately 6:26 a.m., on June 14, 2024, deputies again responded to another report of graffiti vandalism at the entrance to Greenfield Elementary School and the Botetourt County Sports Complex.

Deputies observed threatening statements of violence directed toward the Board of Supervisors spray painted on the roadway and other statements expressing discontent with government.

On June 25, 2024, information was obtained by detectives identifying a suspect in these incidents. Preliminary investigation suggests the suspect had become increasingly vocal and more focused on carrying out acts of violence. The suspect has been taken into custody and the investigation is ongoing.

Currently the suspect is not being identified due to the ongoing investigation. There is no immediate threat to the public and more details will be released as the investigation allows.

“As a member of your Botetourt County Board of Supervisors, I am immensely relieved that the potential crisis at our government facility was successfully prevented by the incredible work of our Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office,” said Botetourt County Board of Supervisors Chair Steve Clinton. “Ensuring the safety and security of our employees and citizens is our highest priority, and this incident has underscored the critical importance of our vigilance and preparedness. While I am relieved, I am also saddened that such an incident could have potentially occurred in Botetourt County. I extend my sincere appreciation to our Sheriff’s Department, whose quick and effective actions made all the difference.”

“While I support our citizens right to peacefully protest decisions made by our government, and the constitution protects those rights, it does not and cannot condone or tolerate acts of violence, “said Sheriff Matt Ward.

Anyone who may have information related to the case or who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Mioduszewski at 540-928-2252.

   

-This information is based on a preliminary and ongoing investigation, which continues to evolve as detectives interview witnesses, review physical and electronic records, and analyze forensic evidence. The Department’s understanding of the facts and circumstances may change as additional evidence is collected and analyzed-

###

The Hatred Among Us

In about 3 hours, the county Board of Supervisors meets to pass a budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The tax rate will be lowered at least 6 cents, but because of the real estate reassessment, which takes place here every 4 years, most people's tax payments will increase.

I do not ever recall worrying that one of my Board of Supervisors members may not come out of a meeting alive, but today I worry about that. This is because someone threatened them, publicly, with graffiti on the road not far from me.

Also, because I have asked, I know they have received death threats and other threats from the general public via emails from spoof accounts as well as threats via phone calls. People have threatened not just the supervisors, but also their families.

Much of this is being stoked by social media commentary. These are people who want a Christo-fascist nation. They want to tell other people what they can and can't do with their land, what they can read, what type of sex they can have, who they can marry, where they can live. They hate women, even if they are women, and they hate minorities. They seem to be terrified of change of any kind and scared of life. They constantly denounce the true Republicans in the county and call them various names (the worst apparently being "liberal" or "Democrat"). Real Republicans are like Mitt Romney or even George H. W. Bush. Even Richard Nixon was more of a true conservative than some of the folks I see on social media. These people are so far to the right of a true Republican that they are nothing more than Nazis.

They are trying to take over with threats and mob rule. And, I fear, with violence.

Sunday Stealing

1. Are you double jointed?

A. No. I'm not even sure I'm single-jointed in some places where I should be. I am stiff as a board.

2. Are you ticklish?

A. Not really.

3. Do you prefer cookies, cakes, or donuts?

A. Cookies.

4. Did you go to prom? 

A. I did not go to my prom, but I went to a prom. I was a sophomore; my date was a senior.

5. Do you bite your nails?

A. Not anymore. I did up until 2020. It took a pandemic to get me to stop.

6. Do you enjoy dancing?

A. Yes, but I do not know how to dance.

7. Do you forgive easily?

A. I know I don't forget much. Forgive? Mostly.

8. Do you prefer to bathe or shower? 

A. I consider taking a shower to be bathing, but I presume you mean take a bath in a tub versus showering. I prefer to shower.

9. Does your name have any special meaning? 

A. It means "grace."

10. Have you ever gone camping? 

A. Yes, when I was a child.

11. Have you ever won something?

A. I've won numerous writing awards.

12. What did you last eat?

A. A Nature Valley Cashew bar.

13. What's your longest relationship so far?

A. Well, that would be my relationship with my father, since he's known me all my life, and then my aunts and uncles, etc., and then my brother, and then there are some other folks around who have known me a while, and then my husband of over 40 years.

14. Have you ever been on a diet?

A. Of course. Who hasn't?

15. Do you enjoy DIY or crafts?

A. Not particularly, no.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: I'll Never Get Out

Saturday 9: I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive (1952)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Hank Williams sings that his fishing pole is broke and the creek is full of sand. OK, so he can't spend his Saturday fishing. What are your Saturday plans?

A. It's horrid hot here, so my plans are to stay inside. Change the bed, maybe work on the bookkeeping. Or not.

2) He regrets how shabby his shoes are. Do you shop for shoes online, or do you prefer going to the store and trying them on?

A. The shoe store that I liked closed. I know what sneakers I wear and the size, so now I order them. But if I needed a different shoe, I would prefer to be able to try them on.

3) This was the last Hank Williams song to be released during his lifetime. Though he was only 29 when he died, he left an enduring mark on American music and is considered one of country music's greatest singer/songwriters. Who is your favorite country music performer?

A. I am not a big country music fan. I will go with Dolly Parton.

4) Elvis was a big fan, and his favorite Hank Williams song was "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." What's your favorite Elvis song?

A. My Way.

5) Johnny Cash was a big Hank Williams fan, too. He performed Hank's gospel song, "I Saw the Light" often in concert and during his guest starring role in a 1974 episode of Columbo. Did you watch Columbo, or do you stream it or catch it in reruns?

A. I have seen it occasionally, but I did not watch it regularly.

6) Hank was a prolific songwriter, composing songs on his guitar and then printing the lyrics by hand on notepaper. He never learned to read music. Can you read music?

A. I can, but not well. I have to stop and think about it and that's not really reading it. Guitar tab is music written specifically for guitar, and I can read that, too, but again, I have to stop and think about it. Mostly I play by ear. I just know when to change chords or hit a string or whatever.

7) When he was a teen, Hank sang and played his guitar on the sidewalk in front of a local radio station, making a little money and hoping to be discovered. His plan worked and he was occasionally invited in to play with the radio station's house band. Were you a hard-working teen?

A. I thought so. My parents probably thought differently. I did not work at McDonalds, but instead I played in a band, which required rehearsals and then we had gigs on Friday and Saturday nights. It gave me enough money for gas and whatever I needed. I also looked after my brother, helped my mother around the house, and helped my father on the farm. When I was 16, I spent my summers working at my father's office. I did my chores. As far as I'm concerned, I've always worked hard.

8) Hank suffered from a congenital spinal condition and began self-medicating with alcohol during his teen years. He was warned against this early on by country superstar Ray Acuff, but Hank was unable to deal with the pain without liquor. Can you recall wise advise you wish you'd taken, but didn't?

A. Not offhand, but I always try not to burn bridges. I'm sure I've left a few in flames, though.

9) Random question: What's your favorite Mexican food?

A. I have never eaten in a Mexican restaurant. That's something I need to remedy but I have no clue when it will happen.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Thursday Thirteen #865

Today is my mother's birthday. She would have been 80 years old today. Here are 13 things about her.

My mother as a young girl.

1. She was madly, fiercely, and desperately in love with my father.

2. By the numbers: She had her first child when she was 18 (that would be me) and her second (my brother) when she was 21. Mom was 38 years old when I married. She retired in her late 40s (I can't remember exactly how old she was), and she passed away at the age of 56 from pancreatic cancer. I was 37 when she died and my brother was 34.

My mother bringing home my brother.

3. Mom could sew well and up until I was old enough to pitch a fit and ask for store-bought clothing, she made most of my clothes.

4. She followed my father to live on a farm that was adjacent to the property on which her father grew up. She diligently canned green beans, helped kill and pluck feathers from chickens, and kept a fire burning for heat, all while working a 40-hour week job that was a 45-minute drive away from home and taking care of her husband and two children.

5. Mom had a button box that was full of glittery things that I liked to play with. It wasn't a box, actually. It was a metal fruitcake tin. But it certainly had a lot of buttons in it. I wonder what happened to it.

6. She could be very creative with arts and crafts. She painted small houses to use for Christmas decor and made mushrooms out of some kind of plaster that she painted up nice.

7.  She was a great cook, although not necessarily with breakfast. (I think that was because, like me, she just wasn't an early morning person.) I remember Dad on Sundays (when Mom wanted to sleep in) would start yelling, "Hungry!" and then he'd get us to join in until we were all shouting, "Hungry" one right after the other. She would stomp into the kitchen muttering and start throwing stuff onto the skillet. She liked to try new things to cook, including a mud duck that tasted like . . . mud. She made a pumpkin pie once that we called pumpkin pudding because it did not set up properly. But most of her meals were delicious.

8. She was always well-dressed and her hair perfectly coiffed. She wore her hair the same way all of her life.

9. She was pretty in a traditional way, though she had freckles and she disliked those immensely. My paternal grandfather used to call her "Liz" because he said she reminded him of Elizabeth Taylor.

Does she look like Liz
Taylor?

10. She was a wonderful grandmother to her grandson before she passed away.

11. She was not afraid of mice. Once during a party, a mouse strode out into the kitchen and Mom took off her shoe, whapped the mouse dead, and then scooped it up with some paper and tossed it outside.

12. She had a decent singing voice but never really got the hang of playing an instrument. She could accompany herself a bit on the organ, though.

This is the way I remember her.

13. She was loyal to her friends and family.

______________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 865th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

He Did What He Said

As I am writing this, there is a man outside with my husband tearing out the old heat pump and preparing to install a new one.

This was a surprise. But the serviceman who was here on Monday did as he said he would and talked to "the boss" and the boss agreed it needed to be replaced after looking at the number of times we've had people out to look at it.

My main concern now is what kind of warranty we will have on this new unit. The fellow that is here is not the person who can tell me that. He is waiting on some other fellow to show up who can tell me that.

I am happy to report, though, that the serviceman kept his word, and this company is doing its part to make us happy with this very expensive purchase. I honestly didn't think either would happen.

Sadly, I have become quite jaded when it comes to the workings of the world.

***

In other news, in my little county where we seldom have things going on, we had an alleged racist pull a gun on a black man who was delivering a portable toilet to a worksite further on up the road from this man's house. What the hell is wrong with people?

At first the news media wasn't giving the man who pulled the gun's name or showing his face "because he was charged with just a misdemeanor," which I thought was weird because when did the charge become the criteria for giving names? Last time I checked, age or rape were about the only reasons to withhold a name. 

The name and image of the man holding the gun was later given by a different TV station that didn't withhold information. I do not know this person. Nor do I want to, thank you very much.

And Now This!

It wasn't bad enough that I backed my car into a stump yesterday.

Late in the day, I realized the heat pump had stopped working. Of course, this was on a 90-degree day with excessive heat forecast for the rest of the week.

The heat pump is new; its warranty runs out in a month. I have said since day 1 that there was something wrong with it. We've had them out to check it several times. Over the winter, the emergency heat turned on constantly, and finally in March someone figured out that the factory had left a piston out of the compressor! So, the compressor had been running for about 8 months without a part it needed.

Then we switched to air conditioning. We noticed that when the heat pump shut off, it shuddered and made a loud noise like a truck not hitting gears properly. I've had people out three time about that noise, and so far, they've twice said it was fine that it made that noise. This last fellow said it shouldn't make that noise.

So then yesterday it simply stopped cooling. The man came out just at 5 p.m. and started talking about what he was charging me for, and I informed him very quickly that the thing was under warranty, and he wasn't charging me a darned thing. He wanted to argue with me about it until I showed him the paperwork from where I bought it last year.

He couldn't find anything wrong with it though. Some things weren't reading properly, something to do with the amps it was pulling, but it wasn't something really bad. He ended up running cold water over the unit to cool it off and then it started working and cooling again. However, the air wasn't as cold as it had been (which, in my opinion, was too cold), although later in the evening the very cold air returned.

The service man said he was going to talk to "the boss" about the unit this morning, but who knows if he actually did that. People seldom do what they say they are going to.

Every time I turn around, something is breaking or broken.

Not the Uber Driver

This year, we are making hay on someone else's property, which means driving equipment six miles to its destination.

This requires multiple trips, with my husband driving a tractor over to the property while hauling a piece of equipment. Then I have to ferry him back so he can get another tractor and another piece of equipment.

It is also important that I go in front or behind him (whichever he requests) with my hazard lights flashing to keep traffic from hitting him.

He finished up the haymaking and this morning we went after the equipment. He drove the dump truck with a trailer over there so he could load the last of the hay, and I followed. He dropped the dump truck and trailer off where he had hay stacked, and then I drove him up to the landowner's shop space where he had a tractor with the equipment my husband needed to load the hay.

There I was to wait on him so I could then follow him and the dump truck home, and then bring him back so he could get another tractor and drive it home.

Yes, it was as complicated as it sounds.

Anyway, during the first part of the delivery and waiting process, I needed to turn the car around. I started backing it up, using the backup camera on the car, and then suddenly, "WHAM."

"What the f*ck did I hit," I wondered aloud. It stopped me dead, whatever it was. I pulled up a bit and looked in the backup camera. All I saw was what looked like gravel.

I got out and saw that there was actually a stump covered with gravel in the middle of this area. This was a flat, graveled area, part of a shop and machine storage place on this landowner's property, that shouldn't have a stump in the middle of it. 

It most definitely should not have a stump covered mostly with gravel that looks nearly invisible on the backup camera of a car.

The landowner was nearby but apparently did not hear my collision. I couldn't see anything wrong with the car, so I turned it around and waited for my husband to return on a tractor (also belonging to the landowner - he let us borrow it because we have a tractor out of service). 

I told him what I'd done and confessed to backing into the stump. Husband looked but couldn't see anything wrong, so we determined I'd probably hit the stump with the car tire.

He also told me that he and his helper had nearly hit the camouflaged stump while they were over there working. "I couldn't have said anything if it had done damage," hubby said. "It's a bad place for a stump."

It's stuff like that that makes me glad I'm not an Uber driver. Sheesh.