Neighbors Marla and Connie to the Rescue!

Our Sunday was not out of the ordinary until we drove away from church on a busy street. The car bucked repeatedly, and all the emergency lights came on. John managed to rabbit-hop into the parking lot of a funeral home before it died. We were 30 miles from home. Stranded!!! As John looked up the number of AAA (roadside assistance), David and Kate ran to the front of the lot to find the address and name of the funeral home. In a matter of minutes, the dispatcher said a tow truck had just passed our location and would turn around to help us.

John would ride in the truck with the car, but what would the four of us do? We thought of the one neighbor who had a car big enough to carry us and who might be home. Angels don’t hesitate. They act. That’s exactly what Marla and Connie did. They were heading to the supermarket, so they immediately turned the car in our direction. Cars on the interstate ramp were stopped. Thinking quickly, they diverted to state roads, which took a bit more time than expected. The photo shows Kate and the boys in the shade of a tree with our sick car in the background.

070818 Stranded travelers.JPG

A somber funeral director came out to see what we were doing. I explained that our car died and was being taken away.

“There is nothing you can do for a dead car, is there?” I said.

The man was obviously used to dealing with distraught people, but he didn’t know how to handle someone saying silly things. After a long pause, he had a good answer, “I guess the only thing we could do is wash it.”

The tension was broken when we all laughed. I asked, “Are you having a funeral this afternoon?”

Yes, there would be a viewing in half an hour, with the service an hour later. He was keeping an eye on activity in his parking lot, especially one that was not related to a human dying. It would be unseemly to have stranded motorists whooping it up as mourners gathered for a funeral. I said neighbors were coming to pick us up, after which he said we could come inside and use the restrooms. We thanked him as the tow truck pulled the car on its back. I told the boys that they were an asset. Having at least two people in their Sunday best made our presence more acceptable.

070818 John watches car being pulled on the truck.JPG — John watches to dead car being loaded

We settled on benches to wait.

070818 David and Kate waiting for rescue.JPG — They look serious enough for a funeral, don’t they?

Before long Marla was there, hopping out of the car to help us in. Being rescued was great, but having cheerful rescuers was far more than I requested. We were very grateful and enjoyed chatting with them on the way home.

I have praised all our neighbors before, but I need to say more. We have THE BEST!

Daughter Kate Arrives

Kate took a nap after work and set out driving from her home in New Jersey around 6 p.m. She arrived here at 10 the next morning. She got her driving gene from John, not me. The trek included several rest stops and an hour’s nap. One frightening event was dodging a deer on the interstate at 3 a.m. Thankfully, all the cars around her threw on their brakes at the same time, and no one was hurt. Kate heard a thump and wondered if the deer had kicked her front bumper. There was no mark on the car to indicate that it did.

She jumped right into visiting with us and her sons. One of the boys mentioned a jigsaw puzzle. We removed the last ones we had worked and dumped out pieces of another box we bought in New York a couple of weeks ago. We knew what to expect this time. The label said the box contained two puzzles that were factory-sealed, so that no pieces would be missing. Each had 240 pieces. What the label didn’t say was that all 480 pieces were jumbled together. With three of us working and one taking photos, we had the edges put together in an hour. David worked on them before going to work, and Kate finished them later. I didn’t ask if they followed our precedent. John does not enjoy jigsaws, so we usually let him put in the last piece for token participation in this family event.

070718 D K N double puzzle.JPG — David, Kate, and Nathaniel working double jigsaw puzzles

Partner from the Past

It took two years, but we finally got together with Cornelius and his wife. I worked with him in New York, both before and after he became a partner in the accounting firm where I was the secretary. We hardly saw each other after he moved to the New Jersey office. I was aware that he and his wife Susan visited her parents in a town close to us here in North Carolina. They came this year to visit them and made time to have lunch with us. I enjoyed catching up with them and seeing pictures of their children.

070618 Cornelius and Susan.JPG

For the foodies: We had beef in a blanket (ground beef baked in pie pastry), mushroom gravy, cantaloupe, neighbor Connie’s recipe for grape salad, and frozen lemon pie.

Waynesville House Tour

It was a total surprise to me that our home might be featured on a house tour. I heard the vehicle on the street, and then it seemed to be circling around the side. I saw it from the back porch and ran to the deck at the side of the house. There it was! The driver seemed very familiar, and I knew the voice of the tour guide. I took a quick photo of the outfit as it drove around the edge of the property.

070618 Bob's Tours.JPG

The driver was none other than neighbor Bob, and he pulled up with a flourish below the deck. Normally that would have accommodated tourists wanting to photograph the house, but he paused for me to record the event. Logan was the tour guide for his nephew Sufi. Bob acknowledged me; Logan waved, and Sufi studied the house intently. He was not ready to commit himself to approval without further scrutiny. Bob’s Tours had made its first historic stop.

070618 Bob's Tours first stop.JPG

If any of you want to book a tour, please let me know. Rates are competitive, and I can guarantee you an excellent discount.

A Picture Not Taken

I resisted taking a photo of our son John $ as he told a bear story. He is allergic to the front side of cameras. When I do take his picture, he doesn’t complain, but I know he prefers not to be recorded. That evening he was stretched out on a sofa and told us about a hike a few days before. There is something about the way he tells a story that commands attention. Hiking on a little-used trail, he and a bear surprised each other. Since he was alone, he wasn’t making much noise. He spotted the bear climbing up a tree about the same time the bear saw him. They parted amicably. Further up the trail, he startled two bears digging for grubs under rotting logs. He said it was highly unusual for two grown bears to be together. He wondered if they were two-year-olds cast off by their mother but still used to being together. One scampered off, but the other started toward him. You need to think quickly in a situation like that. $ made noise and sauntered back the way he came, diffusing the situation. Our son is not accident prone, but dangerous things happen to him all the time.

I wish I could take credit for $’s self-sufficiency. Just before we all went to bed, $ asked if he could have the air mattress. He lugged it from our closet to the living room, set it up himself, knew where to find a pillow, and was soon settled in. The next morning, when I looked in the living room, there was nothing in the middle space. He had already stowed away the air mattress and put the sheets in the laundry room. That’s as close as we come to having an instant guest. We didn’t even have to stir in water.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Our drive from Maryland to North Carolina was pleasantly uneventful until we were 20 miles from home. Traffic came to a halt in the gorge, and we sat there for one and a half hours. There was a long stretch with no exits, leaving us no alternative. The attraction of the moment was the rising of the moon. When we finally moved, we passed an 18-wheeler on a tow truck headed in the wrong direction. It was a strange sight. The four-lane interstate was squeezed by mountains on both sides with a concrete Jersey barrier down the middle. Perhaps the road was closed again later to allow that rig to escape.

062618 Moon rising in the gorge over stopped traffic on I-40.JPG — Darkness on the left is the empty interstate going the other way.

Needless to say, we dragged ourselves into the house, carrying as much as possible. Nathaniel clapped his hats on my head for an easy ride in.

062618 Carrying hats in the house.JPG

After the car was unpacked, Nathaniel performed his mirror ritual. His summer has officially begun. [Every time he comes to stay, he moves the mirror to the hanger where the former owners hung a clock. He is the only one who can use it easily, although David can see himself on tiptoe.]

062618 Nathaniel's mirror ritual.JPG

A couple of days later, a cloud invited itself to dinner on our porch. It shied away at the last moment.

062818 Cloud inviting itself to dinner.jpg

Visiting our old Chair

Catherine and Lars (niece and nephew) invited us to their place to see an old chair John had given to Lars. Lars had it reupholstered, and it was lovely. When our grandchildren were young, John would sit in the chair and hold them to watch train videos. Good posture was not possible in that put-you-to-sleep chair. It was almost guaranteed to knock you out in 15 minutes. I took a turn sitting in it, but I got up before sleep overcame me.

062618 John sprawled in his old chair.JPG

John’s sister Barbara and Thom were there, too. Barbara took her grandson Thomas out to swing. Nathaniel went out shortly afterwards and was soon swinging the four-year-old. I stepped outside to text grandson David who was sick as a dog back at our house. I told him where to find medicine and how to make Jell-o. I overheard Nathaniel ask Thomas what he liked to do. The boy replied, and then he asked Nathaniel the same question. Nate answered that he liked to bake and said he’d make Thomas a cake or some cookies the next time they were together. This shy little boy was having a real conversation! I was amazed. There was give and take, with questions asked and answered. I know teenagers who can’t do that!!! The two stayed outside most of the time we were there.

062618 Nathaniel pushing Thomas.JPG

Inside, Lars showed us the illustrated manuscript he did. He assigned his students a project of doing an illustrated page, giving them three months to finish. He wanted them to know first-hand how time-consuming it was. How long did it take for him to finish the big one? One whole year! Catherine had it framed for him as a gift. Lars has been interested in history almost all his life. [He has published four books: Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire, The Normans: From Raiders to Kings, The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings,and In Distant Lands: A Short History of the Crusades.]

062618 Lars with his illustrated manuscript.JPG

Before we left, I asked for a group picture. Barbara and Thom posed with Lars and Catherine. Barbara is holding Ellertsen, the baby whose christening we missed. We nabbed Nathaniel from the swing set and continued our drive back to North Carolina.

062618 Lars Thom Barbara Catherine Ellie.JPG

College Bound and a Post-christening Party

Off to College! The day after graduation, we picked up grandson Nathaniel He was always a light traveler. We thought the car might be filled to the brim with all his clothes and gear for college, but there was plenty of room for us to sit comfortably. He is working again at the steakhouse where he worked last summer and will go to Johnson & Wales in August.

062518 JC N packing the car.JPG

Post-christening Party We missed the christening of our great nephew in Maryland, but John’s sisters and spouses stayed an extra day to visit with us as we drove down from New York. Thom and Barbara’s twins and their wives provided a lovely cook-out. Nathaniel offered to cook the meats – hamburgers, hot dogs, and locally made chicken-apple sausages. I wish I lived near that sausage-maker. They had a lovely way of accommodating appetites for a mixed group, providing a choice of large hamburgers or sliders.

062518 Nathaniel grilling.JPG

I particularly enjoyed watching six first cousins from age four to age sixteen playing together. I can’t think what relation grandson Nathaniel is to those six. He might be a second cousin or something once removed, which sounds like a second-rate person dumped in the garbage. I hadn’t looked at the calendar and was surprised when we were suddenly celebrating Barbara and Thom’s 52^nd wedding anniversary. I hope I can be forgiven for forgetfulness, because I’m old.

062518 BA Thom's 52nd anniversary.JPG

062518 Barbara Thom on anniversary.JPG

The next day when Thom and John were both trying to pay for breakfast, Thom pulled a fast one . He told the cashier not to pay attention to John because he was senile. We all burst out laughing. I was glad the cashier was not flustered, but laughed with us.

062618 N Thom BA JC breakfast at Chick fil A.JPG

Celebrating with Friends

After grandson Nathaniel’s graduation party, we had dinner with friends of long standing. They have known our grandson all his life. I enjoyed hearing about their granddaughter’s graduation two days before. Her class had 93 graduates and was quite different. Instead of processing them like cattle, someone read a short bio about each one. They included awards, academic achievements, and where the student would be going to college. In addition to all the speeches and lengthy diploma ritual, this class had a formal recessional. The graduation ceremony took twice as long as Nathaniel’s. It must have been very gratifying.

When host Al knew Nathaniel was inside, he invited him out to help cook the steaks. What a meal we had! The meat was exceptionally tender and tasty. They also served a tossed salad, corn on the cob, a corn concoction in the husk, and fresh bread. Ice cream with a choice of hot toppings ended the meal. Excellent coffee set it off to perfection.

062418 Karen and Nate serve dessert.JPG

Being with old friends is such a delight. You pick up right where you left off, because you have a shared history. Through the evening we caught up on recent events and verbally checked up on mutual friends. I don’t remember a train conversation this time, but Al is always trying to share at least one tidbit of information on trains that John doesn’t know. Once in a while he succeeds. Karen and I talked about graduated grandchildren and our college days, among a thousand other things. I’m ashamed to say I forgot to ask what she was knitting these days. She’s an expert and creates the most beautiful things. I lined everyone up for a quick photo as we were leaving. It had been a soul-satisfying evening.

062418 Nate Al Karen John after dinner.JPG