Birthday Blues
As if turning 42 wasn't bad enough.
Here's the synopsis of my day: Carl left for classes around 7:30. Between 8 and 8:30 it started to rain, and Mary and I had to be in Amana for a soccer game by 9:45. Hannah said she wanted to stay home by herself, so I let her, even when the power went out just as Mary and I were walking to my truck (Candy). I had to open the garage door manually, and of course I got soaked. But we managed to get going. To get to Amana, I have to drive through the town of Norway, and I have to cross the Union Pacific railroad tracks. As I was in the middle of the crossing, I looked to my left and saw train lights headed right toward me. Simultaneously the crossing bells and lights went off and the gates started dropping. To say that I hit the gas is an understatement. I dang near punched my foot through the firewall I hit the accelerator so hard. Candy jumped through the crossing and I was a half mile gone by the time the gates came all the way down. We got to Amana around 9:55 and found our team. It had stopped raining, but only for a moment. It started in again (I had a large umbrella that the girls all huddled under) and we headed for the park shelter. Yeah, the one with the metal roof. Then it started to lightning and thunder, so our game was cancelled and Mary and I headed for home. The power still wasn't back on, so I had to get out and lift the garage door manually again. But this time the door didn't stay all the way up, and as I drove through I hit the bottom of the door with the luggage rack on my truck. (Carl checked it when he got home and there's no damage. Whew!) So Hannah meets us at the door, and because the power wouldn't come back on she got scared while I was gone and let Judah in the house. No problem there, and once it stopped raining I put the dog out. But the power didn't come back on until 1:15. In the meantime I put batteries in my portable radio and listened to Ohio State obliterate the Hawkeyes. (Arg.) Once the power came back up I turned on the TV to watch the game, but because the girls wanted to watch movies I had to watch the game in the kitchen. I was tired, so I laid my head down on my arms on the table, and by the time I woke up the game was over and my arms were asleep. Things got better from there, though. For my birthday supper I ordered carryout from Texas Roadhouse. Carl and I split a rack of ribs and a "cactus" blossom onion, Hannah had a hot dog and a baked potato, and Mary had mac & cheese and steak fries. No one finished all their meal, so we have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.
I forgot to mention that I got some nice phone calls: one from my Mom, one from my sister, and one from my mother-in-law that came just as the power went back up. My brother Bob called, too, but he called in the middle of supper so I asked him to call back. I didn't want my ribs to get cold and my beer to get warm. Thanks for understanding, Bob!
So now I'm at the end of my birthday and even though it started out rough it seems to be ending well. Mary picked up her room and took her shower without complaining, and every time I walk through the foyer I marvel at how much nicer it looks thanks to my wonderful husband. He also got the garage door back on electric controls - what a guy. Don't know what I'd do without him, or my girls. Having them around makes growing older tolerable.
Here's the synopsis of my day: Carl left for classes around 7:30. Between 8 and 8:30 it started to rain, and Mary and I had to be in Amana for a soccer game by 9:45. Hannah said she wanted to stay home by herself, so I let her, even when the power went out just as Mary and I were walking to my truck (Candy). I had to open the garage door manually, and of course I got soaked. But we managed to get going. To get to Amana, I have to drive through the town of Norway, and I have to cross the Union Pacific railroad tracks. As I was in the middle of the crossing, I looked to my left and saw train lights headed right toward me. Simultaneously the crossing bells and lights went off and the gates started dropping. To say that I hit the gas is an understatement. I dang near punched my foot through the firewall I hit the accelerator so hard. Candy jumped through the crossing and I was a half mile gone by the time the gates came all the way down. We got to Amana around 9:55 and found our team. It had stopped raining, but only for a moment. It started in again (I had a large umbrella that the girls all huddled under) and we headed for the park shelter. Yeah, the one with the metal roof. Then it started to lightning and thunder, so our game was cancelled and Mary and I headed for home. The power still wasn't back on, so I had to get out and lift the garage door manually again. But this time the door didn't stay all the way up, and as I drove through I hit the bottom of the door with the luggage rack on my truck. (Carl checked it when he got home and there's no damage. Whew!) So Hannah meets us at the door, and because the power wouldn't come back on she got scared while I was gone and let Judah in the house. No problem there, and once it stopped raining I put the dog out. But the power didn't come back on until 1:15. In the meantime I put batteries in my portable radio and listened to Ohio State obliterate the Hawkeyes. (Arg.) Once the power came back up I turned on the TV to watch the game, but because the girls wanted to watch movies I had to watch the game in the kitchen. I was tired, so I laid my head down on my arms on the table, and by the time I woke up the game was over and my arms were asleep. Things got better from there, though. For my birthday supper I ordered carryout from Texas Roadhouse. Carl and I split a rack of ribs and a "cactus" blossom onion, Hannah had a hot dog and a baked potato, and Mary had mac & cheese and steak fries. No one finished all their meal, so we have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.
I forgot to mention that I got some nice phone calls: one from my Mom, one from my sister, and one from my mother-in-law that came just as the power went back up. My brother Bob called, too, but he called in the middle of supper so I asked him to call back. I didn't want my ribs to get cold and my beer to get warm. Thanks for understanding, Bob!
So now I'm at the end of my birthday and even though it started out rough it seems to be ending well. Mary picked up her room and took her shower without complaining, and every time I walk through the foyer I marvel at how much nicer it looks thanks to my wonderful husband. He also got the garage door back on electric controls - what a guy. Don't know what I'd do without him, or my girls. Having them around makes growing older tolerable.
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