Too Much Excitement?

Believe it or not, this car spent the weekend in our garage. A neighbor didn’t think it was really ours. Hmmm. Wonder why. Our son-in-law Jerry is driving it onto a trailer in this picture.

But first I have to tell you about the rest of my week.

On Wednesday Ken drove me to Grand Forks to see my rheumatologist because I’m beginning Remicade infusions for Rheumatoid Arthritis—again. I prefer driving myself—I don’t want to lose my driving skills and I enjoy singing at the top of my voice when I’m alone. This was a traumatic event, however. When I mentioned I wouldn’t mind a driver, Ken volunteered.

(Remicade is one of the new biologic drugs and I’d been doing so well that my doctor asked if I would like to try life without it for a season. I did well for over a year.)

On Thursday I made a major decision concerning my Red, Red Berries blog and spent much of the day organizing and writing. I even posted that night—very late—after attending my writer’s group.

And on Friday morning the post was featured in the Google Alerts under “Spiritual Armor." Now I didn’t quite dance down the hall to find Ken; I just scurried as fast as I could scurry. (Of course it was gone Saturday, but for what it was worth, I enjoyed the moment.)

The big event of the day or week or month came when our oldest son called Friday to hear what the rheumatologist said about meeting them in Ethiopia. Earlier, he and his wife (she is Ethiopian and they live in the United Arab Emirates) had invited us to meet them for their baby girl’s baptism. Ted’s weekend begins on Friday so he called for the verdict and we set the dates for some very long plane rides.

After lunch Ken and I sat by the computer together to order the tickets. Prior to this I’d been saying, “We might go to Ethiopia.” Suddenly it was, “We’re going.” Big difference.

At 9:30 p.m. that evening—in the dark—on a trailer pulled by a semi—down our quiet neighborhood street—a driver delivered the above-mentioned Corvette to our address. This isn't Jerry's first Corvette, but it's the first he's had delivered to us, an arrangement that saved delivery costs. Ken went down immediately.

Now, in a pinch, this husband of mine can repair a car with the best of them—I’ve seen him do it. But Corvettes are outside his experience. By the time I arrived and exclaimed, “Oh, it’s red!” the fellow delivering the vehicle wondered about our connection to it. I felt obliged to explain.

“Oh,” he said. And a neighbor who understood the features of the specific model came to admire and enlighten us. Then the driver told us how to open the doors, how to start the engine—little details like that. Because the seats are low, I decided I didn’t want to risk getting in—I might have trouble climbing out. So the neighbor rode into the garage with Ken.

By Saturday my energy levels were way down, but I had scheduled myself to participate in a 24-hour short-story contest—I wanted to fulfilled my personal commitment by submitting a written piece during the month of September. It turned into a fun exercise, even though I didn’t finish until 11:00 p.m.

On Sunday I broke my parents’s rules by working on the sabbath. Actually, I relaxed by cleaning the bathrooms and doing a few things in the kitchen.

Yesterday, Monday, I shopped (there are things to buy for a major trip and jeans aren’t appropriate for women my age in Ethiopia). I reviewed my stash of fabrics and cut out a skirt. But everything stopped when Jerry picked up his Corvette. Although I’m not a car buff—am more interested in color than model, design, or motors—I admit it's beautiful. Here's Jerry checking connections before for the ride home. That's Ken looking on.




Add all this excitment to the excitement generated by a building project next to our condo and the fact that we’re Twins fans. (We feel obligated to keep up on their run for the division championship—and won’t know the outcome until tonight, two days after the regular season is over.) And, of course, a financial crisis.

This morning, Tuesday, I kept an appointment for vaccinations necessary because we’re going to a relatively undeveloped country. I’m believing we’ll be ready for a great trip. We’ll meet a granddaughter for the first time, reacquaint ourselves with her brother, enjoy their parents, and experience another culture. WOW!