The first commercial roller coaster opened in 1884, in Coney Island of course. Oh, the idea had its roots 100 years earlier, in St Petersburg, Russia. Something akin to a mechanical sled on tracks was built at the whim of Catherine the Great. But it was the Coney Island ride that launched the roller coaster as we know it today -- with all the trappings of an amusement park surrounding it.
Roller coasters are popular worldwide, but America has the highest concentration of the thrill coasters that basically make you feel like your guts are plunging way ahead of you into a void of nothingness where up is down, and down is up, and your body shakes and quivers for a long time after, to recover from the shock it just endured.
We love roller coasters.
I used to love roller coasters, until I didn't. Now, you couldn't pay me to go on one. Feeling dizzy and sick and jarred and tossed around so that the bones rattle is just not pleasurable any more. But it once was. Just like it still is for so many Americans.
* * *
I put Millie through a lot this morning. First of all, she and I had another late night. (I had to buy a bed. Not for me. It took a while to find one that was cheap and appropriate. Then of course there was the mattress... by the time I was done, it was midnight.) But there was no sleeping in this morning. Up at 5. Lots to do.
Millie didn't mind the early wake up. But she does mind the chaos. The changes. The absence of old reliable props. We had breakfast on the porch. She hadn't her usual plants to sniff out, and there was no bench to settle under. It looked and felt different.
My girl, this is our last morning here. I just want to tell you -- all these moves, the work involved -- it's been worth it. Our days here have been beautiful. And they will even more beautiful in Steffi's House.
And then I had to interrupt her morning nap, because the carpet cleaner had arrived. I had four rugs to unroll for them, and of course I had to open up the garage for them. I took the girl with me, thinking that perhaps she'd like a run in the Steffi yard. She did, but when I went into the house for a minute, she got scared. And when the big guy (and he was big) came with his machinery, she got more scared. And when he turned on his carpet cleaning motors, she was totally freaked out. She trembled as I put her in the car.
We snuggled for a while, then I drove her to Happy Dogz where she flew into the room full of familiar everything, tail going at full speed, excitement returning to her dark eyes.
Happy Dogz is closed tomorrow for the holiday weekend, but Julie -- the staff person who took care of Millie when I went to Europe -- happily agreed to take her home for an overnight. In this way, I have the whole day today to finish up with the packing and of course tomorrow, to assist with the move.
It wasn't the smoothest of days, and it was beastly hot once again, with storms hitting us in the early evening. Nothing terrible happened and the move continues to go forward, but there were bumps along the way. I had to call Ed to help with the Internet installation. The process stumped him as well and we spent way too much time trying to understand what our errors were. The movers came to pack up anything I hadn't boxed yet, and they packed all that they weren't supposed to pack (things I needed for the next two days) and did not pack a whole cabinet of stuff that should have been boxed. And I mowed the Sally lawn and the mowing machine swallowed up one of its parts and spit it out in shreds, gashing my leg in the process. Same leg that the neighbor's dog scratched just minutes before. (I said to him -- your dog has very sharp nails. He smiled in agreement. He did then ask -- can I help you with the mowing? And when I paused, trying to think of a polite response, he explained -- you know, because it's so hot and well... what he wanted to say but caught himself is -- and you're so old...). And the light switch in the house isn't working and the storms knocked down some of my plants. small things that test your ability to stay calm and focused..
In the late evening, Ed came over with a pizza. I made a salad, we watched one of our old favorites on TV. I am totally exhausted but I do want to return to the move in a few minutes -- I can start unpacking stuff that I hauled over myself.
Sally's House feels horribly empty right now: no Millie, no sign of a life in it. I suppose that I never thought of it as a real home. It felt more like I was house sitting for someone. The space was very pleasant, but never quite settled. Three dogs passed through it and that is the way I will remember these months. Henry, Sadey, and finally my sweet Millie.
Tomorrow, my pup and I will be in Steffi's House.
with so much love...
