 |
| My three cats at an open window |
An open window signals a change-for-the-good in the weather.
Who can resist the chance to peek outside?
My thoughts are scattered this week. Yours, too? Here a few
of the things weighing on my mind:
1.
When the Malaysia prime minister declared new
data showed missing flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean, I
yelled, “No-o-o” at the television screen. I’d hoped the plane would be found
on a remote tarmac, the passengers sweaty and annoyed by their detour, but safe. I
wasn’t alone in my magical thinking; my friend Fio had hoped for a similar, happy ending.
- Soon, Younger Daughter
embarks on an 18-month journey that will take her to Canada, South Korea,
and Norway. The opportunity’s fantastic, and I’m thrilled for her. I’m
also going to miss her like crazy, and the missing part didn’t sink in
until a month ago. Magical thinking, that trickster, had me focused on the
positive right up until my girl ended her apartment lease and bought her plane
tickets. Thank God
for Skype.
- April 15, Tax Day in the
U.S. looms, and I still have numbers to hunt and gather. A friend suggested I work one hour a day on taxes until I finish my share.
“Set a timer,” she said. “At the end of the hour, stop, and pick up where
you left off tomorrow.” The method works, but I won’t relax until the job’s
done.
- Two months ago, Hubs and I
bought a house in the Texas Hill Country.
Right now, we’re using it as a weekend place. On our last visit,
the garage-door opener didn’t work. We figured the battery was dead. Then,
we found a puddle of water under the refrigerator. Hmmm, the
refrigerator’s contents were warm. We tried to turn on a light.
Nothing. Hubs checked the breaker box, but it seemed fine. He called the
electric company, and a nice person there asked him to check the electric
meter. Hubs couldn’t locate a meter because someone had stolen it.
Did you know it’s possible to pry and electric meter out of its
housing, move it to another location, hook it to a power line, and run
a fridge and lights? The electric company sent out a crew to install a
new meter and track the location of the old one. CSI-Hill Country! The
power company will deny future service to the miscreant, levy a fine, and
there’s the specter of electric-shock treatments. Meanwhile, while I’m happy to have a new
meter, I'm braced for the surprises my next Hill Country visit will bring.
What weighs on your mind?
8 comments:
Oh, my gosh, you can steal a meter? I had no idea. But good luck on the hiccups of having the second house.
I was so efficient, bringing paperwork south with me so I could have our taxes stuff all read when we go home. Except for what I forgot. Go I'll be hurrying it along when we get home.
Hope you like The Girls, Pat.
Hi, Liz,
Yes, you can steal a meter but the power company can track it, so the thief might as well wear a sign that says, "Fine me now."
Tax Day is April 15 every year, so why does it's arrival always surprise me? Sorry you forgot some important tax paperwork. We strive to be efficient, but it's hard to schlep things from one part of the country to another.
I know I'll like The Girls.
Someone tried to steal the pipes for the heat pump at my brother's business place a few weeks ago. Something must've spooked them, because they left them half torn out. When he repaired it, he wired it into the security system (don't ask me how--he's an electrical engineer).
I was leaning more and more toward an alien abduction of the plane, like happened in Contact by Susan Grant (really good book btw). I feel so bad for the families who still don't have closure.
Hi, Jennette,
Every family needs at least one engineer type. I'm glad your brother was able to salvage the heat pump's piping.
It makes sense an author of paranormals would lean toward an alien abduction of the plane. That thought never once occurred to me. I hoped the passengers would be held for ransom. My magical thinking required all ransoms to be paid and the passengers released. The true situation, in contrast, is heartbreaking.
Hi, Pat,
Well, the accountant called me to tell me that I owe something like $6k to the Feds, the State of NJ and the State of NY, so that's on my mind. Something about capital gains. I guess I should know that that means but I'm so intellectually lazy about some things that I couldn't even be bothered to ask him to explain them to me. Are you ever intellectually lazy?
Doesn't sound very "Texas-like" to me that someone would steal an electric meter. "Jersey-like" yes, but not Texas. I only met nice, polite people there.
I was sorry about the plane too and the sad fact that we will never know what happened and its important to know that. Some people believe that the plane was "raptured". I don't think so and like yourself, I entertained some fantasy that the plane landed in some remote area, etc.,etc.
Your thinking wasn't "magical" Pat. Hope is a virtue.
- Patrick
Thanks, Patrick. You know, I'd forgotten hope is a virtue. Faith, hope, and love, right? I'm sick about the families of the people on that plane.
You can tell by this blog post's weak intro that my intellect takes a siesta from time to time. I reread the post and wished I'd started it a different way.
Patrick, didn't you mention in a comment that you teach financial literacy? I bet you know what capital gains means. Do you care? Perhaps not.
I like to think the electric-meter thief was "borrowing" it and intended to return it. Hope's hard to shake, isn't it?
I've also been holding out hope for the missing flight. I feel so bad for the families.
At home, we're supporting our son as he makes his college choice. It's a big decision for him! :)
Hi, Coleen,
As you know, the college choice is a biggie for kids AND their parents. I admire the fact you and your husband see yourselves as supporting players and your son as the lead.
Hang in there.
Post a Comment