Possumblog

I tell you what--

--if it ain't one thing, it's another.

I hadn't intended on doing only one post yesterday, but along about 1:40 as I was just about halfway through lunch, I got a call from the elementary school about a little youngster who shares my surname having a bout of the gut ache. Normally, I would have told them just to send her back to class, but seeing as how Rebecca spent the day Monday over at Grandmom's house with a terrible stomachache, I figured Youngest must have gotten a touch of it as well.

SO, off to the other side of town to pick her up.

Oh, and this is on top of the fact that Reba had just gotten to work yesterday when the high school nurse called her about Oldest, who seemed to be having a recurrence of her internal plumbing distress and so she'd had to ALSO go home, get her, and take her to the doctor, then to the hospital so they could run an ultrasound and do blood work and all that stuff. SO, there was all that going on as well.

Off to get Cat, who seemed a bit sluggish when she came to the lobby, and slightly on the warm side. Hmm. This dissipated about the time we got to the middle school. We'd gone there to pick up the Middle Two, since Reba's mom had gone with her to the hospital with Oldest, meaning the two middle schoolers wouldn't have been able to get in her house if they'd ridden the bus. SO, a note was sent to them to come ride with Dad, who was parked out front.

WHO, at that moment, was desperately trying to take a quick nap, because he was once more having one of those sudden loss of energy moments from the lungcrud he's been battling. Luckily, Youngest took this time to recover from her malady completely, and her constant chattering and wiggling and running back and forth from the car to the trash can on the front porch of the middle school managed to keep me from actually getting any sleep.

Bell rang, kids made their way to the car, we went home, sat them down to do their homework, and I collapsed on the couch. Got about five minutes of actual sleep in about two hours. Oldest came in seemingly in fine fettle, since she was loudly telling all the younger kids in her usual haughty way about just how horrible everything was at the hospital. Mom said they hadn't been able to find anything specific, which I found just SO shocking. I know Oldest really does have some pain, but I also know it has a way of growing all out of proportion depending on the circumstances. ::sigh::

Anyway, had a bite to eat, and the two Middle Kids and I got ready to go to church and get gas in the Volvo, which we did, then on the way back we had to stop by the drug store and get my medicine, and THEN on over to Staples to pick up some envelopes. We HAD TO HAVE ENVELOPES.

Got back in the car and started the final leg down Main Street to the blessed relief of home. Passed by the shopping center, noticed the two police cars parked driver-door-to-driver-door at the funeral home, checked to make sure I was going the speed limit, which I was, did my mental checklist of stuff I had to come in and do today for work, tried to figure out why, exactly, we needed envelopes tonight of all nights, thought about this weekend's campout with Boy, which sounds fun, and FLASHING BLUE LIGHTS!!

Wha!?

I was just past the Target part of the shopping center, and I knew I was still putting along the same speed I'd been going, so at first I thought they might be on a call somewhere on down toward the center of town, but when I slowed down to pull off into the Eastminster church parking lot, the cruiser followed me right into the driveway.

Uh-oh. I wonder what in the world is going on?

Of course, the kids were greatly excited by this turn of events.

Engine off, dome light on, window down, hands on wheel.

The officer approached slowly with his hand near his holster, "Sir, may I see your license and proof of insurance?"

I fished out my license and insurance card and handed it to him while the kids whispered gleefully back and forth to each other.

The policeman looked at my information for a bit and then said, "Sir, I stopped you tonight because you don't have any taillights."

Oh, dadgummit. I didn't quite doubt him, as I've had lighting trouble on the old Volvo for months now that I haven't quite gotten all sorted out, but I thought that I had myself covered by using the rear fog lamps--the Volvo has an auxiliary set of red lamps in the back to enhance visibility in snow and fog. I'd had them on, but I suppose they must have gotten burnt out.

"I don't have ANY lights back there?"

"No, sir."

"Uh--well, I have had some trouble with them, so, uhmm, well--okay then."

He took my license back to his car and came back with a warning ticket. While he was gone, Rebecca, of all people, kept jabbering about how she didn't like it that he was taking so much time and how she couldn't understand why he stopped us and on and on and ON until I told her to SHUT UP AND NOT SAY ANOTHER WORD!

Which she did.

Thus, with a warning in hand, I cranked back up and we headed on up to the house, unloaded ourselves, and I sent them on to get their baths while I once more collapsed on the bed.

Today?

Well, Oldest is over at Grandmom's, so I brought the Focus to work today since it's dark and rainy and I don't want to get stopped again for not having taillights, and I'll be taking Boy to the game tonight so he can beat on his drum, and I'm hoping that the cold damp weather doesn't cause my lungcrud to turn into tuberculosis or scurvy or dropsy.

And worst of all?

I didn't quite have time in all that to come up with a Thursday Three for today.

Sorry.

Maybe next week?

We'll see.

As for now, I have all the stuff I was supposed to do yesterday to get done, as well as the stuff I'm supposed to do today done, because I've got to leave early to go get Boy and get him to the bandroom on time.

And now I would like to take a nap.

Posted by Terry Oglesby at October 26, 2006 08:19 AM