I worked in retail for 11 years so I became a very patient customer. I understand that it is not the cashier's fault that an item did not scan correctly. I know that it is not her responsibility to count the customers in her line and open another lane. Her job is to wait on the customer in front of her in an efficient and friendly manner, one after another until it's break time. Cashiers are human. They stand for hours repeating the same motions over and over and over. They don't make near enough money for the job they do and the abuse they take from rude people. No matter how long I have waited in line, I try my best to give a smile and a pleasantry when it's my turn. I am a good customer when it comes to the retail environment.
A friend posted on Facebook last night that she went to the doctor for her annual checkup and the doctor was 20 minutes late in coming in. She apologized for the delay and explained that she had spent the last 20 minutes with another patient delivering bad news. I thought about the times that I have sat in the waiting room by myself or with a sick child and complained about how ridiculous it was to have to wait so long. Truth is, I have never been a doctor so I have never become a patient patient.
We have no idea what goes on behind the privacy of those doors lining the halls of that doctor's office. Doctor's are human too. Maybe he/ she dealt with children who just wouldn't get out of bed that morning and missed breakfast and needed a few minutes to scarf down a snack. Maybe he/she woke up not feeling well themselves and needed a few minutes in the restroom . Maybe he/she just dealt with a difficult child and needed a 5 minute time out before dealing with me. Maybe he/she just delivered bad news to someone and spent some extra time with them or after delivering that bad news , he/she needed some time to pull themselves together after . Maybe, just maybe, it had nothing to do with him/ her at all.
Fact is , doctors do not schedule their own appointments. A receptionist and /or triage nurse does that for them. While it would be easy to blame them for the long wait time, they are doing the best they can do too. I know that there have been times that I have went in for what should have been more of a 10 minute appointment that ended up being more of a 20 to 30 minute one. They aren't psychic and have no control over how long an appointment will last. As soon as the phone starts ringing in the am they have to take a guess at how many patients a doctor can see in a hours time. If they determine 4 and those four only take up 15 minutes each, all is well. If one of those is a child that doesn't want to sit still and is uncooperative and yet another one came in with a sore throat but wants to talk about the blister on her toe , her insomnia, and rash on her butt as well, then at the end of the hour that doctor is 30 minutes behind schedule.
My best friend likes to tell a story that she read one time to illustrate how quick we are to judge . A man lives in a city and boards a train after dark with his three small children. One is crying loudly and the other two are kinda wild and unruly. The man isn't really paying attention to them so they quickly start to get on the other passenger's nerves. At some point an older woman says loudly " Sir , can you please deal with your children." The man looks up and seems to come out of a stupor. He replies " I'm sorry, we just came from the hospital. My wife died a little while ago. I am not sure they understand but they know something bad has happened. They are tired and haven't eaten since lunch." It's so easy to look at a situation and think we know what is going on when truth is, more often than not, we have no idea.
We ( me included ) as a society lead such busy lives that it is easy to become impatient with people and /or situations. We ( me included ) really need to work on just taking a breath and giving others a break. I allow myself to have a bad day every once in a while and should allow others to have one too. God, please create within me a heart that gives others the benefit of the doubt when I am impatient. Help me to be more sympathetic to what may be going on in that person's life. Help me to be kind in all situations. Help me to give a smile and a pleasantry when it is my turn no matter how long I have had to wait. Amen.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
If looks could kill
My mama has always said that if looks could kill that I would be in prison. Apparently my face shows the emotion I happen to be feeling . Well, if looks could kill I would be asking for bail money right now.
I had a mammogram today. My appointment time was 12 :30 but my orders said to be there 15 to 20 minutes early for registration.I was signed in and sitting in waiting by 12 :10. There were 5 divided pods where 5 different employees could check in 5 different people at the same time. Pods 1 through 3 had their lights on. Pods 1 and 2 had customers/patients already being checked in. Pod 3 had nobody. At 12 :20 pod 2 finished with her patient and took the guy ahead of me. About the same time I heard the lady in pod 3 start talking to someone on the phone. It was obvious that it was a personal call and had nothing to do with hospital business.At 12 :25 the lights come on in pod 4 but she starts up a conversation with the woman in pod 3 who for the last fifteen minutes hasn't done anything but make a personal phone call.
All this time I am sitting beside a woman who smells like she hasn't bathed in a week AND I have to pee. I am usually a very patient person but I was reaching a limit. At one point I look over to another woman who has been waiting as long as I have.She shrugs her shoulders and looks as frustrated as I am.For the next 10 minutes pod 3 and pod 4 talk about soup. At 12 :35, five minutes past my appointment time I change seats so I can see directly into pod3. I am now sitting right beside the other woman who looks like I feel. She whispers " my appointment is in 5 minutes." I reply , " My appointment was 5 minutes ago ." I did not whisper though . In fact I believe anyone in and around that waiting room heard me. It caught the attention of both pod 3 and pod 4. When pod 3 looked at me I shot her a look.
Needless to say, neither wasted no time in walking to the sign in sheet and calling me and the other lady to sign us in. I didn't make it back to imaging until 12 :45 and waited another 10 minutes there before being called back. I checked my watch as I was leaving. It was 1:01. My mammogram took exactly 6 minutes.
Usually I hate getting customer surveys whether it be by mail or email. I usually throw them away or hit delete. I really hope I get one from Northern Hospital though. I would definitely fill this one out and be excited about hitting send.
I had a mammogram today. My appointment time was 12 :30 but my orders said to be there 15 to 20 minutes early for registration.I was signed in and sitting in waiting by 12 :10. There were 5 divided pods where 5 different employees could check in 5 different people at the same time. Pods 1 through 3 had their lights on. Pods 1 and 2 had customers/patients already being checked in. Pod 3 had nobody. At 12 :20 pod 2 finished with her patient and took the guy ahead of me. About the same time I heard the lady in pod 3 start talking to someone on the phone. It was obvious that it was a personal call and had nothing to do with hospital business.At 12 :25 the lights come on in pod 4 but she starts up a conversation with the woman in pod 3 who for the last fifteen minutes hasn't done anything but make a personal phone call.
All this time I am sitting beside a woman who smells like she hasn't bathed in a week AND I have to pee. I am usually a very patient person but I was reaching a limit. At one point I look over to another woman who has been waiting as long as I have.She shrugs her shoulders and looks as frustrated as I am.For the next 10 minutes pod 3 and pod 4 talk about soup. At 12 :35, five minutes past my appointment time I change seats so I can see directly into pod3. I am now sitting right beside the other woman who looks like I feel. She whispers " my appointment is in 5 minutes." I reply , " My appointment was 5 minutes ago ." I did not whisper though . In fact I believe anyone in and around that waiting room heard me. It caught the attention of both pod 3 and pod 4. When pod 3 looked at me I shot her a look.
Needless to say, neither wasted no time in walking to the sign in sheet and calling me and the other lady to sign us in. I didn't make it back to imaging until 12 :45 and waited another 10 minutes there before being called back. I checked my watch as I was leaving. It was 1:01. My mammogram took exactly 6 minutes.
Usually I hate getting customer surveys whether it be by mail or email. I usually throw them away or hit delete. I really hope I get one from Northern Hospital though. I would definitely fill this one out and be excited about hitting send.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Simply me
Yesterday my son wanted me to deposit $45 of his money into my checking account so he could order a hoodie online. It is his money. He earned it , therefore within reason I allow him to spend it on whatever he chooses. He spends his money well. He usually buys clothes because he knows that if his clothes budget is determined by me he will not be wearing what he wants. He is all about the name brand. Hopefully I don't offend here but I could care less about name brand. I buy clothes to cover my body and keep me warm or cool depending upon season. If I have $35 to spend on clothes I will purchase 10 shirts at Goodwill versus 1 at Abercrombie. Anyway this one transaction made me reflect on "why" I don't give a rip about status statements.
I have NEVER owned a designer handbag. I have a pocketbook and that is what I call it too...a pocketbook. I use it til it falls apart and then I buy another. It's $30 including shipping and handling and I order it from luggageguru.com . It has two straps and I sling it on my back like a backpack. When my children were younger and I was going on a couple of field trips every month it allowed me to walk around with both of my hands free. I could hold hands with my child or be camera ready to take pictures of the memories I was making with them. They are older but I still carry it because it is still practical. It has three pockets on the outside. Pocket #1 hold my cell phone. Pocket #2, several writing pens and pocket #3 contains gum. There is a zip pocket on the back that holds lipstick/lipgloss, hand sanitizer, ibuprophen, and full sized store discount cards that I don't have on my already full key ring. The inside has three additional pockets. One for chapstick, listerne strips, and nail clippers. Another for eyeglass cleaning spray and wipes, and yet another for a comb and a nail file. The biggest section holds my wallet, calendar, checkbook, and keys. I NEVER have to dig for anything. On the rare occasion that I decide to spend a stupid amount of money to take the family to the movies , my pocketbook can smuggle three 16 oz drinks at $1.39 each into the theater because I just refuse to pay $12 for three cups full of ice and a little bit of soda. Once a year it holds enough snacks to get us through a day at the zoo so we don't spend $50 on hamburgers and fries for 4 people at lunch time.
I guess you can tell by now that I am cheap. You have no idea. 90% of the clothes in my drawers and closet came from Goodwill or consignment stores. I will buy shoes and underwear new but to be clear up until last year I only owned one bra that I washed two or three times a week and I wear underwear til I am forced to buy new ones because I wear them til they fall apart.The last new shoes I bought for myself were three pairs of flip flops last summer and they were buy one get one half off at Kmart. The big name brand? Joe Boxers.
I'm not into pedicures, manicures, or massages. I clip, file, shape, and paint my own nails for free. If I need a back rub , I'll get Eric to do it. If you ever need to find me, I can promise that I won't be in a salon. I do get haircuts from time to time but I will not pay $60 for the same work that I can pay $15 for. I guess when the gray takes over, I will show my age because I won't be coloring my hair and touching up my roots every 6 weeks.
As a family , we go out to eat once every pay check, which for us is twice a month. The rest of my food budget is spent at the grocery store.As you may have guessed I am pretty frugal there as well. The majority of everything I buy is store brand. I do make a few exceptions. Scott toilet tissue is pretty expensive but per roll it seems to last longer at our house so I pay the extra. Up until a few years ago I would only buy Tide laundry detergent but at a load everyday I couldn't justify it anymore so now I spend an hour every 3 months or so and make my own laundry detergent. It saves me about $200 a year and it works just as good as store bought.
I have a cell phone but the fanciest part about it is a full keyboard to make texting easier. I do not have an internet plan on it so you will never see a Facebook status posted via mobile. My children do not have phones of their own and when they do get one it will most certainly not be the latest iphone. At this point in their lives if they want to communicate with their friends they have ipods they can text on or can use the landline phones in our house. If they are away from me , they are either at school or with responsible adults that can reach me if and when an emergency arises. I made it just fine til adulthood without a cell phone. I am certain that they will survive until they are driving on their own without one.
Don't feel sorry for me or my children. We have every thing that we need . We are fed, we are clothed and we have shelter. We even have things that we don't need like Direct tv and high speed internet.I even splurge every once in a while. Of course my idea of splurging is driving downtown to buy an espresso based coffee drink instead of brewing at home or buying a big bag of M&M's and having a handful each day for a couple of weeks. Truth is,we don't have the extra money to spend on designer handbags, name brand clothing, trips to the salon or high tech phones that do everything but wipe your butt.Truth is , even if we did, I wouldn't spend it on those things. We would spend it on trips together , put it in savings, or give it away. If all of my bills were paid, we had no NEEDS, and I had upwards of $300 to spend on a designer handbag, I most likely would either give it to my church so they could meet needs within my congregation or just flat out give it to the many people I know that are struggling just to survive in this crap economy.
Disclaimer : I am not judging how other people spend their money. They earn it and should spend it however they wish. This isn't about them. This is about me, who I am and what MY priorities are.This is about how I live my life and as it turns out, it's pretty simple.
I have NEVER owned a designer handbag. I have a pocketbook and that is what I call it too...a pocketbook. I use it til it falls apart and then I buy another. It's $30 including shipping and handling and I order it from luggageguru.com . It has two straps and I sling it on my back like a backpack. When my children were younger and I was going on a couple of field trips every month it allowed me to walk around with both of my hands free. I could hold hands with my child or be camera ready to take pictures of the memories I was making with them. They are older but I still carry it because it is still practical. It has three pockets on the outside. Pocket #1 hold my cell phone. Pocket #2, several writing pens and pocket #3 contains gum. There is a zip pocket on the back that holds lipstick/lipgloss, hand sanitizer, ibuprophen, and full sized store discount cards that I don't have on my already full key ring. The inside has three additional pockets. One for chapstick, listerne strips, and nail clippers. Another for eyeglass cleaning spray and wipes, and yet another for a comb and a nail file. The biggest section holds my wallet, calendar, checkbook, and keys. I NEVER have to dig for anything. On the rare occasion that I decide to spend a stupid amount of money to take the family to the movies , my pocketbook can smuggle three 16 oz drinks at $1.39 each into the theater because I just refuse to pay $12 for three cups full of ice and a little bit of soda. Once a year it holds enough snacks to get us through a day at the zoo so we don't spend $50 on hamburgers and fries for 4 people at lunch time.
I guess you can tell by now that I am cheap. You have no idea. 90% of the clothes in my drawers and closet came from Goodwill or consignment stores. I will buy shoes and underwear new but to be clear up until last year I only owned one bra that I washed two or three times a week and I wear underwear til I am forced to buy new ones because I wear them til they fall apart.The last new shoes I bought for myself were three pairs of flip flops last summer and they were buy one get one half off at Kmart. The big name brand? Joe Boxers.
I'm not into pedicures, manicures, or massages. I clip, file, shape, and paint my own nails for free. If I need a back rub , I'll get Eric to do it. If you ever need to find me, I can promise that I won't be in a salon. I do get haircuts from time to time but I will not pay $60 for the same work that I can pay $15 for. I guess when the gray takes over, I will show my age because I won't be coloring my hair and touching up my roots every 6 weeks.
As a family , we go out to eat once every pay check, which for us is twice a month. The rest of my food budget is spent at the grocery store.As you may have guessed I am pretty frugal there as well. The majority of everything I buy is store brand. I do make a few exceptions. Scott toilet tissue is pretty expensive but per roll it seems to last longer at our house so I pay the extra. Up until a few years ago I would only buy Tide laundry detergent but at a load everyday I couldn't justify it anymore so now I spend an hour every 3 months or so and make my own laundry detergent. It saves me about $200 a year and it works just as good as store bought.
I have a cell phone but the fanciest part about it is a full keyboard to make texting easier. I do not have an internet plan on it so you will never see a Facebook status posted via mobile. My children do not have phones of their own and when they do get one it will most certainly not be the latest iphone. At this point in their lives if they want to communicate with their friends they have ipods they can text on or can use the landline phones in our house. If they are away from me , they are either at school or with responsible adults that can reach me if and when an emergency arises. I made it just fine til adulthood without a cell phone. I am certain that they will survive until they are driving on their own without one.
Don't feel sorry for me or my children. We have every thing that we need . We are fed, we are clothed and we have shelter. We even have things that we don't need like Direct tv and high speed internet.I even splurge every once in a while. Of course my idea of splurging is driving downtown to buy an espresso based coffee drink instead of brewing at home or buying a big bag of M&M's and having a handful each day for a couple of weeks. Truth is,we don't have the extra money to spend on designer handbags, name brand clothing, trips to the salon or high tech phones that do everything but wipe your butt.Truth is , even if we did, I wouldn't spend it on those things. We would spend it on trips together , put it in savings, or give it away. If all of my bills were paid, we had no NEEDS, and I had upwards of $300 to spend on a designer handbag, I most likely would either give it to my church so they could meet needs within my congregation or just flat out give it to the many people I know that are struggling just to survive in this crap economy.
Disclaimer : I am not judging how other people spend their money. They earn it and should spend it however they wish. This isn't about them. This is about me, who I am and what MY priorities are.This is about how I live my life and as it turns out, it's pretty simple.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Your tax dollars at work
Eric goes to the VA for his healthcare. He earned it and he uses it. Several months ago, he made an appointment to have some pain in his side checked out. He made this appointment because I pitched a fit. He had just told me that he has had this pain for almost six years now and it was becoming more frequent. So here is how this goes.
Appointment one : Eric drives to Winston for a consultation with his doctor . After discussion, she orders a CT scan.
Appointment two : Eric drives to Salisbury for his CT scan.
Appointment three : Eric drives back to Winston ( I guess a phone call would not suffice ) To discuss with his doctor the results of his CT scan. Scan shows gall stones . She refers him to gastroenterologist.
Appointment four : Eric drives to Salisbury for consultation with gastroenterologist who doesn't even mention found gall stones but instead is concerned with fatty deposits on his liver. He orders a liver biopsy. He also orders a stupid amount of blood work.
Appointment five : Eric drives to Winston for blood work
Appointment six : Eric drives to Winston for an appointment that they set up. He didn't know why he was even going. He arrives to have the doctor come in and say " I really don't know why you are here. Your blood work is fine. By the way, I cancelled your liver biopsy. That was crazy. That is a last resort kind of thing . If you have any more problems, let me know." ( again, phone call would not suffice)
America, you are paying for this. Not only are you paying for his medical care, you are paying his mileage back and forth. I don't share this so you can be outraged at the amount of your tax dollars being spent on our veterans. Every single one of them earned this care . I share because Obamacare is getting ready to hit store shelves near you. This is your government at work people.
Appointment one : Eric drives to Winston for a consultation with his doctor . After discussion, she orders a CT scan.
Appointment two : Eric drives to Salisbury for his CT scan.
Appointment three : Eric drives back to Winston ( I guess a phone call would not suffice ) To discuss with his doctor the results of his CT scan. Scan shows gall stones . She refers him to gastroenterologist.
Appointment four : Eric drives to Salisbury for consultation with gastroenterologist who doesn't even mention found gall stones but instead is concerned with fatty deposits on his liver. He orders a liver biopsy. He also orders a stupid amount of blood work.
Appointment five : Eric drives to Winston for blood work
Appointment six : Eric drives to Winston for an appointment that they set up. He didn't know why he was even going. He arrives to have the doctor come in and say " I really don't know why you are here. Your blood work is fine. By the way, I cancelled your liver biopsy. That was crazy. That is a last resort kind of thing . If you have any more problems, let me know." ( again, phone call would not suffice)
America, you are paying for this. Not only are you paying for his medical care, you are paying his mileage back and forth. I don't share this so you can be outraged at the amount of your tax dollars being spent on our veterans. Every single one of them earned this care . I share because Obamacare is getting ready to hit store shelves near you. This is your government at work people.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Not just another trip to the store
A little while ago I made a trip to the grocery store for toilet paper and dog food. As I approached the cashier , her and another store associate were talking about how much they do at home. Of course I joined in providing a comment. For the record, we weren't husband bashing. I don't do that. It was more about how much we do and how much the others in our household don't realize how much we do.
It was a gentle reminder to me at how blessed I really am. In general I know this all the time but sometimes God uses situations around me to kick it into my heart.My husband works upwards of 50 plus hours a week. He works hard and comes home dirty. We have two children and I have been blessed to be able to be a stay at home wife and mommy since their birth.It hasn't always been easy and not without sacrifice.I have found ways to contribute financially throughout the years but Eric is the breadwinner so to speak.He brings home the bacon and I fry it up in a pan.Not only that, but most everything else too.
For as long as I can remember there has been a kind of unspoken rule between him and I.As long as it is possible he will work outside of the home and I will do everything else. I work hard. Sometimes at the end of the day I am dirty too. I match his work hours. I just get paid differently.Just as his job can be demanding, tiring, and overwhelming at times, mine is as well. Let me be clear, this isn't something that he expects, it is what I have chosen to do in appreciation and love for what he does.
As our children get older, they will pick up more responsibility and my work load will ease some. Until then I thank God for allowing me to be the stay at home wife and mommy that I know I was meant to be. Recently my husband let me know that he realizes and appreciates how hard I work.He thanked me for taking care of him and our children. I don't do what I do specifically for moments such as that but when they happen , that is my paycheck and it's worth more than I could earn anywhere else.
It was a gentle reminder to me at how blessed I really am. In general I know this all the time but sometimes God uses situations around me to kick it into my heart.My husband works upwards of 50 plus hours a week. He works hard and comes home dirty. We have two children and I have been blessed to be able to be a stay at home wife and mommy since their birth.It hasn't always been easy and not without sacrifice.I have found ways to contribute financially throughout the years but Eric is the breadwinner so to speak.He brings home the bacon and I fry it up in a pan.Not only that, but most everything else too.
For as long as I can remember there has been a kind of unspoken rule between him and I.As long as it is possible he will work outside of the home and I will do everything else. I work hard. Sometimes at the end of the day I am dirty too. I match his work hours. I just get paid differently.Just as his job can be demanding, tiring, and overwhelming at times, mine is as well. Let me be clear, this isn't something that he expects, it is what I have chosen to do in appreciation and love for what he does.
As our children get older, they will pick up more responsibility and my work load will ease some. Until then I thank God for allowing me to be the stay at home wife and mommy that I know I was meant to be. Recently my husband let me know that he realizes and appreciates how hard I work.He thanked me for taking care of him and our children. I don't do what I do specifically for moments such as that but when they happen , that is my paycheck and it's worth more than I could earn anywhere else.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
The game of pool is racist
On the way home from dropping the kids off at school I was listening to a discussion on the radio about racism in this country. This is my soapbox moment for the day. Yes there is racism in this country...by ALL of the colors that call this country home. Racism is ugly, mean, and born out of hate. It is my personal opinion that if you are a racist , you cannot possibly have the love of God in your heart. I am not going to pretend that I have all of the answers but let me tell you a story.
A couple of weeks ago my family spent 3 days at the KOA campground in Fancy Gap VA. Saturday evening of that weekend was rainy so Eric and Ben spent some time in the clubhouse playing pool and video games.There was an african american boy in the game room that was around Ben's age, maybe a little younger. Within minutes he had declared the game of pool racist. There is only one black ball, therefore, it is racist. Never mind that there are ZERO totally white balls. The company that produces the white chair in the corner? Obviously racist because the chair was white. Do you see where I am headed?
I don't blame him. Black, white, yellow, children aren't born knowing racism. I blame the people raising this child .I imagine that he has been taught for as many years as he could understand language that racism is the hearts of everyone, apparently, even the inventor of the game of pool and the owner of the company that produces white chairs. I find this very disturbing and dangerous. He didn't say this but I would say that even though he had just met Eric and Ben that he made the judgement that they were racist and he was waiting for some sort of comment to prove him right.
I am not a perfect parent and someone please correct me if I am wrong. If a child is taught from an early age that all people who aren't the same color as them are racist, isn't that what they are ALWAYS going to look for, and if they can't find it, manufacture it? The simple definition of racism is : the hatred or intolerance of another race. Again correct me if I am wrong but isn't what these parents are teaching this young man not racist ideas in and of themselves?
Sadly, I can almost predict this child's future. At some point he is going to spout his nonsense to a white individual who is going to recognize it for the foolishness that it is. He will get punched in the face and the white individual will be charged with a hate crime. If that same white individual punched another white individual in the face for spouting nonsense he would only be charged with assault. There goes that whole treating all races equally idea huh?
A couple of weeks ago my family spent 3 days at the KOA campground in Fancy Gap VA. Saturday evening of that weekend was rainy so Eric and Ben spent some time in the clubhouse playing pool and video games.There was an african american boy in the game room that was around Ben's age, maybe a little younger. Within minutes he had declared the game of pool racist. There is only one black ball, therefore, it is racist. Never mind that there are ZERO totally white balls. The company that produces the white chair in the corner? Obviously racist because the chair was white. Do you see where I am headed?
I don't blame him. Black, white, yellow, children aren't born knowing racism. I blame the people raising this child .I imagine that he has been taught for as many years as he could understand language that racism is the hearts of everyone, apparently, even the inventor of the game of pool and the owner of the company that produces white chairs. I find this very disturbing and dangerous. He didn't say this but I would say that even though he had just met Eric and Ben that he made the judgement that they were racist and he was waiting for some sort of comment to prove him right.
I am not a perfect parent and someone please correct me if I am wrong. If a child is taught from an early age that all people who aren't the same color as them are racist, isn't that what they are ALWAYS going to look for, and if they can't find it, manufacture it? The simple definition of racism is : the hatred or intolerance of another race. Again correct me if I am wrong but isn't what these parents are teaching this young man not racist ideas in and of themselves?
Sadly, I can almost predict this child's future. At some point he is going to spout his nonsense to a white individual who is going to recognize it for the foolishness that it is. He will get punched in the face and the white individual will be charged with a hate crime. If that same white individual punched another white individual in the face for spouting nonsense he would only be charged with assault. There goes that whole treating all races equally idea huh?
Monday, August 19, 2013
The rain wins AGAIN
Eric worked hours and spent quite a bit of $ planting a garden. I tried, I really did try to keep the garden weeded.We just couldn't stay ahead of the rain. I managed to pull enough tomatoes out to make 4 pints of salsa. There are 30 short ears of corn in the freezer and we had 2 squash that survived. No beans, no watermelon, no cantaloupe and the potatoes are more than likely rotted in the ground. The rain wins.
Well over a month ago I made reservations to go camping this past weekend. Camping is not my favorite thing in the world but the rest of my crew does does so I suck it up and make the best of it. We do NOT tent camp. Very early in our marriage Eric and I paid $600 for a pop up camper that has been well worth the money we paid for it. It's not huge by any imagination. It sleeps 4 of us comfortably, has a small stovetop, tiny refrigerator, and a some storage compartments. That's it. No bathroom or running water. We loaded up Friday afternoon and headed to Fancy Gap KOA for the weekend.
By the time the camper was set up , the sky was cloudy. It was cool and I couldn't help thinking how nice it would be if it would just stay that way and not rain how wonderful the weekend would be. Eric and Ben fished while Cara and I headed to the pool. The water was like ice so I was just fine to sit and watch her splash around . After the evening meal, Ben and Eric played some music in the clubhouse with some friends that came up to jam. Cara and I drove back down the mountain to take the dogs out and grab some stuff that we had forgotten.Saturday morning Eric drove home to get the dogs so they could experience camping too. By the time we had them settled in it was raining, not hard at first , just sprinkling. For several hours Eric and the kids fished in the rain while me and dogs watched . Around lunch time the real rain moved in , pouring , soaking everything, forcing the four of us and 2 dogs into the small camper . No fishing, no swimming, no walking around, no campfire, just sitting around in the camper. That makes for good quality family time for sure but none of the fun stuff that camping is supposed to be.
That batch of rain lasted until after lunch on Sunday. The sky was still clouded and the sun only peeked through a handful of times but there wasn't drops of water actively falling from the sky for about 7 hours. We actually got to eat our hot dogs and hamburgers outside around the picnic table. Smores were made for the first time since we had been there and I was allowed to sit around a roaring campfire for about 45 minutes. The roaring campfire and smores are my favorite part of camping. I had 45 minutes and then the sky opened up again and dropped heavy soaking rain for the rest of the night and was still pouring when we awoke this morning.
There is nothing fun about waking up at 1 am and having to trudge through puddles that you can't even see in the dark, with an umbrella, to walk to the bathroom because you have to pee. There is nothing fun about not having a totally dry spot to sit. There is nothing fun about being wet for the better part of 2 days. The rain wins ...AGAIN.
There were moments that warmed my heart despite all the rain. Ben learned how to take his fish off the hook this year. Cara actually enjoyed fishing this time. Even if it was brief, I did get my roaring campfire and smores.
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