There was a time when I would have regarded 55f (13c) to be a mighty warm temperature reading. (Say back in January.) But with an overcast sky, that reading, today, just feels... chilly. No way do I want to work outside! (Perhaps getting over a light summer cold gives me an added incentive to stay cozy!) Still, the animals have to be fed. I step outside...
... and head out to the barn. Very early. I have errands to run and Ed has to be done with breakfast before a scheduled morning meeting.
(Spanish bluebells, now in all colors, next to the absolutely final daffodil blooms.)
There's much to be done again in the flower fields, but it will have to wait. A cloudy and cool day provides little incentive to get that little spade out.
Instead, I drive over to Madison Sourdough Bakery to pick up cookies for my cookie loving Sparrow. (Drive: 12 minutes each way.) I am that kind of a grandma. (On the flip side, I rarely bake for the kids these days. So not that saintly after all.) Too, I miss having a fresh from the oven croissant with my milky coffee. (Admit it, sounds heavenly, doesn't it? With blueberry jam. Bliss...) Breakfast -- in the cozy kitchen of course.
And now is the time to start making decisions about how to deal with the car mess. File with the guy's insurance? Cant do it without the police report. Don't yet have access to the report. Guy may not even have insurance for all I know. File with my own insurance? I started that process. Say I do that. Do I stay with their body shop? It's easier. They may provide loaner cars. But it feels weird taking a Subaru to their designated Ford Body Shop. Does my Subaru then take on the look of a Ford Pinto? Okay, fine, not quite that. But still, am I being guided to a cheaper place that will skimp on the job? And if I stay with the Subaru shop, then I have to rent a car. Repayment for that will be another struggle.
In other words, loads of decisions, all because I have a dent in the rear of the car, not of my own making. I spend a good two hours working through those very boring details. With a cup of Schisandra Berry Blush tea to keep me happy and to hurry that summer cold along, so that it will be over and done with by... the goal is tomorrow! No, no, not Covid. Just a nuisance cold. And yes, I know rest would help. Finding the time for that is... an issue for me.
I glance outside. And still it's only 55f (13c) out there. So maybe I should do grocery shopping now, instead of on a more sunny day? Cars and groceries. I mean really! What a tiresome set of activities! (Drive: 16 minutes each way.)
And as soon as I unload the groceries, I turn around to go pick up the kids at school. (Drive: 17 minutes each way, plus a 30 minute wait in the car line because I get there early to be toward the front of the long line.)
As the kids get in, I can tell that moods are... varied. Before the day is out, both the older two and their little brother will have cycled through a series of ups and downs. It's rather unusual. Most days they're all chipper and joyful. I'm going to guess that the cold weather has knocked everyone off their regular platform of good cheer!
(some finer moments...)
Okay, time for the big two to go home. I drive them to the drop off point. (Drive: 9 minutes each way. So, total car time for this day -- 108 minutes driving, 30 minutes sitting in it and waiting, 120 minutes negotiating payout for the repairs. A total of 258 minutes, or four hours and eighteen minutes where the car was prime and center for me. I've fallen into the American automobile rabbit hole today! Sucked in, all the way.)
Now the upside, because, you know, the day was actually sweetly pleasant: I left the kids chasing each other boisterously and happily on the sidewalk. The fridge is stocked with fruits and veggies, and there's a fresh bouquet of tulips on the table. My insurance company wrote to tell me that it just issued me a check for repairs (I like you after all, State Farm). And the skies cleared and it is going to be one gorgeous day tomorrow! And most people can't tell what's a weed and what's a perennial flower anyway, so who cares that I haven't quite kept up with that job!
Supper time. How about a veggie soup and a great big salad? Keep it healthy! Keep it happy!
with love...
