Car Sickness

"The one thing that unites all human beings,

regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status

or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside,

we ALL believe that we are above average drivers."

~Dave Barry

MR. FIRE HYDRANT ACROSS THE STREET...

Meet our Honda Accord....

Yep...my first accident in many years.

I was rushing to take Sam to the passport office...

then I remembered something

I wanted to return to the Dollar Store

(no comment)

and decided to back up...

back up the half block to our house...

Not a Good Idea...
******************************
Well, thank you, Lord, for other blessings...

like car insurance...

a husband that didn't get angry...

A soccer game later with my husband & son...

A Maryland Terps win over the California Bears!!

And beautiful fall sunsets...

We all have our "hang-ups"

Last week, I played the “Good Mom”.

Or maybe it was just the “Finally-I’ve-had-it-Mom”

Whatever it was, I decided to enter Sam’s bedroom.

The one he only uses on weekends while at college.

It was a courageous step for me.

But then, I am a middle school teacher, so nothing scares me.

This came close.

I had forgotten what color carpet we had installed there 3 years ago.

Covered with clothes and books and papers, CDs and CD cases….

not always together…occasionally a guitar pick or a whole guitar,

it is hard to know where to step.

I guess he feels it necessary to keep the bed aired out….

or what other reason would he have for not making it? Ever?

Nevertheless, I went to work.

All clothing on the floor went into the washer.

All papers went into trash or

a “Need to go through over Thanksgiving break” pile.

I painstakingly matched most of the CDs and cases and

tried to place them in the shelf.

I came close to having an asthma attack when I

dusted down his bookcase---but it certainly looks great now.

And while I laundered all the bedding, I turned the mattress.

If I don’t mind saying so….the place looks terrific.

When Sam came home I proudly took him up,

showed him the neat CD shelf, all the clothes ON HANGARS

and a crisply made bed. He looked around, then grabbed a

newly washed underarmour shirt from the hanger and stuck it in his bag.

Perhaps it was one he had been missing under the piles of clothes.

Perhaps, he will see how important it is to have a place for everything

and everything in its place. NAAAAAAAA….

Yesterday’s paper had the following comic.

I laughed….Sam didn’t get the humor…

he just thought it made a lot of sense.

ch'i or Qi or qi n.
The vital force believed to be inherent in all things.

The unimpeded circulation of chi and a balance of its

negative and positive forms in the body are held to be

essential to good health in traditional Chinese medicine.
[Chinese (Mandarin) qì, air, spirit, energy of life.]

Indian Summer

Autumn is my favorite time of year

For 14 years I sat in lawn chairs next to soccer fields...

Or I stood on the sideline making strange body movements---

swaying one way or the other as if I could somehow will

that black and white ball in the direction of the goal...

I really don't understand a thing about the game...

I don't even know what position my son played.

But when that last high school game was played 2 years ago and

I took off my "Soccer Mom" socks with little embroidered balls

I cried.

I miss those crisp fall days...

the smell of sweaty boys filling my van to & from games,

contorting my body in odd ways next to the field.

Last Saturday there was an alumni game...

Once again I watched those gold soccer cleats hit the ground

and that wavy a-little-too-long-blond hair fly by

and saw # 11 do that which he loves and does well....

It was joy---even if I forgot to wear my "Soccer Mom" socks.

This weekend was fun too---

Sarah & Lauren retreated from American U. for about 24 hours.

Ledos pizza, "Get Smart" DVD, worship together,

Sunday dinner with Hilda

And a walk in the neighborhood.....

Strolling among the leaves is more fun than raking them.

And Lauren agreed with me....our Colorado aspens just don't
compare to the colors of the eastern hardwoods.

Election Day!!

My dear husband left our house before 6 a.m. with a

cup of coffee, a lawn chair, crossword puzzle & flashlight.

He headed to the polls where he found himself 2nd in line!!

These two ladies were Numbers 1 & 3 in line

at Flower Valley School!!

The space between them, where Jim sat for an hour---

became my place at 7:50 when I arrived

and my husband moved to the end of the line.

You're a good man, Jim Furnish!

The election judges posting poll machine tapes to prove there

had been no votes cast before we entered the doors at 7 a.m.

The line was snaking down the sidewalk

& toward the parking lot...
That man in the white hat and black sweatshirt---
still working on his crossword puzzle---
is the best place-saver in town!!