The plan was; head out in the late morning to get the tires torqued, then keep on going for a quick trip to the city.

Seven hours later, we finally get home!

But before I get into that, here’s what we got to come home to.

It was good to get home!

Things went well enough; just not as expected.  The girls got some raking done before we headed out; more leaves to layer on the old flower garden! :-)  We headed out to the town my mother lives in to stop at the garage to get our tires torqued.

That was a little more heart stopping than it should have been.  I’m a speed limit driver, and use my cruise control to keep it that way.  We still get passed all the time.  Okay.  Whatever.

We got passed only twice on the way to the garage.  The first time, a truck started to pass me, even though there was a tanker truck in the oncoming lane.  I had to slow down to let the guy back into my lane, so he wouldn’t get creamed!  Then, while going through a series of curves, with double solid yellow lines, I suddenly realized there was a car outside my door, passing me in the middle of the curve.  A split second after the car zipped in front of me, we went far enough on the curve to see the other car in the oncoming lane.

I understand how easy it is to speed, but why do people risk their lives – and the lives of others – like that?

We were done at the garage very quickly, and continued on.  We had several places on our list. Originally, we had hoped that my husband could come along, and we would drop him off to visit his father while we ran around town, but he’s been having some very severe pain days, and has been unable to sleep.  :'(

Along the way, I got a phone call from my older brother, who has just returned from another province.  He wanted to update me on a bizarre call he got from our mother.  Meals on Wheels came by today, which she wasn’t expecting.  I had thought he had arranged it for just once a week, but it turned out he arranged it for all three days available.  Not only was she not expecting it, but they brought two trays.  As near as I can figure, she got angry about it.  She may have tried to pay for it but was told “you’ll get a bill.”  Except the volunteers delivering would have no idea that the bill is going to my brother, not to my mother.  She lit into my brother about how it was going to cost her, that she didn’t want it, there was too much food, and she was going to get fat like [me].  He apologized for telling me that, but all I could do was laugh.  In all my memory, my mother has never been thin.  Which certainly didn’t stop her from being healthy, strong and able to work very hard – especially during the years before we had running water in the house.  Anyhow, she started saying she was going to cancel the meals on wheels because she could cook for herself, etc., and he said no, he was paying for it, and it was to help her out because home care had said she was out of food (which I have since learned was actually being thrown out because she decided it had gone bad, or because she wanted the home care workers to cook from scratch, got angry when they said they didn’t have time to do more than assembling or heating, so she would kick them out. !!!).  All in all, it was a very upsetting call for him.

Since we were going to be in an area of the city not far from their place, I asked if he wanted us to come and visit, and he was certainly happy at the thought. Friendly faces were much needed right then!  So that would be a slight change in plans.  We’d go to the first two places we had on the list, visit him, then go to the last place on the list before heading home.

When we got to our destination, however, I found a text waiting for me.  Looks like plans were changing again.  They might have to go see my mother.  He had already called the meals on wheels people to do damage control and ensure our mother didn’t cancel it.  He found out that the extra tray she got had been intended for someone else.  So while she was angry about having too much food, someone was going without. :-(  They were going to track down who it was and fix it.

I confirmed with him that they would be going to my mothers, which meant our plans changed back again.  Just running our own errands.  Considering how long it takes to drive from my brother’s to my mothers, I thought they might still be there by the time we drove through town, so I texted to see if they were there or not.

With no answer by the time we reached the town, I decided to drive by and see if they were there.  Unfortunately, I suddenly found I couldn’t remember what their car was.  Just that it was a dark colour and kinda small. :-D  Was that it, parked over there? Not sure.  I tried to text both of them, letting them know where I was and asking if they were there. No answer.  So we drove to a place where I knew there was a Pokemon Go gym to play the game for a bit while giving them time to answer.  Still nothing.  Drive by again.  Still not sure if that was their car.  Decide we should just go home.  I pull over to text to let them know, just in time to get a text confirming they were there, and was I coming in? :-D

So I turn around again and go back to my mother’s.  I figure, if she still wanted me to, I’ll take back the jars of chili I’d made for her.  The girls stayed in the van; my mother’s place is so tiny, three more bodies in there would have been way too crowded.  Sure enough, my mother still wanted me to take home the chili.  My brother brings it out of the fridge, and as we’re talking, I pull out a jar.

That’s jam, my mother says.

No.  It’s chili.  You’ve had some (as my brother finds and brings out the two empty jars of chili she’d already eaten).

Jam?

No.  Chili.

*facepalm*

We’d had this conversation when I first brought them but, because they are in pint jars, with fruit and berries as a design on the glass, she still thinks “jam.”

Then she told me that I could give it to the cats, because it wasn’t “fresh.”

*sigh*

I didn’t stay long, since we had frozen stuff in the van, so my sister-in-law walked me out to say hello to the girls, and fill us in on the details.  All has been worked out and calmed down.  It’s unfortunate they had to drive all that way to do it, but it is what it is!

I gotta say, it sure felt good to finally get home to my husband!

The Re-Farmer