I Can Practically Do It With My Eyes Closed

Drive back to my home town, that is.  I've been making that exact same drive for almost forty years now, counting back to the first day I drove to college from home.  I ended up settling in my college town and have been here ever since.  So if you see me heading out of town with my eyes closed, don't worry, I know where I'm going.

I left home early this morning to attend a family business meeting in my home town with my family.

The best thing about the day was that both my parents and both my brothers were there.  There together with me in the same room.  At the same time.  That does not happen very often, just due to the fact of where we live and work and raise our families.

After our meeting we enjoyed a rare lunch together which was a nice treat and a chance to catch up a bit.

Other than that, the one mistake of the day was leaving home without an audio book.  Five hours of driving while listening to an audio book seem to pass like maybe one hour.  However, without the audio book, my five hours seemed like a very long day.

Add to that some crazy fog, and it made the driving to and from the meeting a challenge for me.

It's at times like these that I become bored.  And then when I'm bored, I switch into a hyper-observant mode, just to amuse myself.  I make myself see and think about things that I've never paid much attention to at other times.

Like reading the signs.  I noticed a bazillion signs of this sort:  "Congratulations to the Class of 2014."  I also took note of quite a few business signs that had words spelled wrong.

I wondered why so many businesses feel the need to put some big item up on the roof or stuck onto a wall.  I saw a plane, several cars, a horse, and a few other big items up on the buildings.  Do folks think this is neat?  I think it's generally kind of tacky, unless the big item is some claim to fame.

Paying special attention also to private yards, I was taken aback, again as always, by the variety of weird stuff people see fit to place in their yards.  What I saw ran the gamut from chain saw sculptures, to Catholic shrines, to life-sized coal miners and their coal cars.  Some properties have so much junk in their yards, one would have difficulty making their way to the door.  Others appear to be junkyards full of old cars and the parts that have spewed out of them.

yard decor

Road kill is a whole 'nother fascination for me.  I saw one smashed snake, numerous squirrels, several red foxes, and a bazillion or so porcupines.  Add to that all the unidentifiable piles of guts, and well, you can imagine that kept me interested for at least a good five minutes or so.

As usual, I spent plenty of time thinking about my loved ones.  Car time is praying time.  I try to discuss them all, because I know He is listening and loves the chat.

I thought about little Gabriel, who obviously needs some help with getting his shoes on the right feet.

I said thanks for cutie Ellie, who was miraculously cured on her birthday of a belly ache, right about the time her birthday cupcakes were passed out.

And I expressed my excitement about the twins and their upcoming horseback riding lessons.  Oh, how they love horses!

Finally, I said a prayer for grandson Jarrod, who will soon be applying for his driver's permit.

It was a low-key day, but I arrived at my destination and then home again, safe and sound.

For that, I'm grateful.