We celebrated, if that's the word, the first day of Spring with a flat tire and a dead battery. I had been working late, came out, and my car battery put in a very good imitation of dead. I was able to get the car started and get home. Where Diana told me about the tire. The next morning, my car wouldn't start for anything, and we called AAA. I limped into work in Eson's car, a clunker his dad gave him a year before he could drive. He still doesn't have his license. But it had four good tires and started up like a dream. The forecast for the first day of spring was "snow changing to rain".
Well, they got the snow part right, anyway. By the time I left work, 3-4 inches had fallen and I'm heading home in this clunker with bald California tires. All my childhood came back to me--I found I could take it slow and get where I wanted to go. I even was brave enough to take the cut-off along the river which saves me about a mile and a half. Off the main road, I flicked on my high beams and the lights went out! There was something screwy with the switch. Luckily it wasn't totally dark, and the snow made it pretty easy to see. A frantic round of groping and I discovered that I could make the headlights come on if I grabbed the light stalk and pulled it towards me. And held it. So I drove the rest of the way home that way. By the time I got home, my hand was cramping. Then I couldn't get up the driveway. Took me 5 minutes of fishtailing but I finally made it.
When I got home, I discovered that Diana had managed to get both cars fixed. There is a wonderful gas station in town, run by a family from Lebanon. After AAA put on Diana's spare, they towed my car to this station. New battery, and shorted starter (which fried the old battery). They brought her home and set to work on my car. She brought her flat tire down and they checked out her car--verdict, wheels out of alignment, might as well get 4 new tires. They brought her home again. Later that afternoon, they delivered both cars, good as new. To the door.
Have I mentioned that I'm really enjoying being here?...
The boys have been so funny with the snow. Having grown up in CA, they have never experienced snow, and when it snows here, they are just like I remember being at age 3 or 4. Excited, can't wait to get out into it. They frisk about, throwing the occasional snowball. Eson made a wonderful snowman almost as tall as he is. There are a few differences from the way I remember my kids being. For one thing, the boys can dress themselves. That's a big step!
It's really very beautiful, the snow. If you give up the idea that it should be spring, it's stunning.
A word or two on the last several weeks. Things are actually settling down. We are having the living room and dining room painted. The lugubrious blue of the living room is becoming an ivory with a hint of red. The mud-green in the dining room will similarly lighten. You can take Diana out of California, but you can't take California out of Diana. She finds the house very dark, and I have to agree. We are having someone come around on Sat. to talk about new windows and possibly putting in a bay window in the dining room. The electrician comes in 2 weeks to replace every plug in the house, and to get the kitchen light that I broke working again. We finally got the phones straightened out, and I found out what local ISP number will get me in at higher than 14.4. I've ordered DSL, and they took the order, despite rumors that DSL was not available yet. We'll see...
We have gone for several weeks without TV. I haven't missed it, but the kids are beginning to rumble. I'll call the cable company soon and then we will be fully connected... Meanwhile, I should be able to start updating more frequently. Promises, promises...
Thank you for reading.
Copyright © 2002 Pete Stevens. All rights reserved.
BACK NEXT HOME