And the Heavens Opened Up

Not really.

But I do love it when the sun’s rays shoot out from behind the clouds.

It’s like my inner three-year-old jolts to life or something. I’m all, “Yes! Do it again!”

This week has been tough, like two weeks of work jam-packed into one and two days of feeling running over by the head cold Mack truck.

And tonight was the funeral-home visitation for Kevin’s grandmother, who passed away Wednesday, after more than two weeks of misery and suffering in the hospital.

She was an amazing woman, Mae Simpson, and she will be terribly missed by her family and friends.

The last thing she said to Kevin, after telling him he needed to go home and be with his family instead of sitting at the hospital with her, was that she was going to be all right “either way.”

This afternoon, staring at the sun rays, I couldn’t help but wonder what the view was like from her side.

46/365: Advertising Faux Pas

Every time I see this (which is usually at least once a day), I have to shake my head.

The current restaurant’s sign is posted with removable letters underneath the old restaurant’s sign.

Doesn’t exactly elicit trust in their ability to provide a quality product, does it?

Colored Pencil Girl

I found this today when Atticus and I were looking through paper to find some more for his work.

I did it sometime last fall, I think. It’s in colored pencil.

And before you ask — it’s nobody.

I can’t draw somebody in particular to save my life, but I can draw somebody who sorta looks like somebody could look.

Kevin said he thought her eyes look alive, like they’re looking at you. I thought that was pretty cool!

Distorted Views

I took this picture today as we were driving across the Main Street bridge, heading south.

Those cut-outs in the concrete railing, which appear diagonal because of our speed (which, Kevin assures me, was not above the limit), are in reality vertical.

Weird, huh?

It makes me think…

Sometimes I’m careening through my days at what seems like ten times what must be the limit.

I wonder what that must do to my ability to assess reality and how many poor decisions I’ve made simply because I acted on my distorted view.

Um, Hello? Right on Red?!

Um, hello? Right on red?!

Unless you’re in New York, where the right-on-red allowance is against the law. I found this out only after turning right after stopping at a red light in Manhattan. Check out the dubious Wikipedia article: “All 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico (except in New York City) have allowed right turns on red since January 1, 1980, unless a sign otherwise prohibits this.”

But I’m in Danville, so … um, hello? Right on red?!

He or she had his or her right turn-signal on and was stopped right on the white line, patiently awaiting the light change.

And speaking of gender wonder, did you notice there’s no head in view? It makes me wonder if he or she is even tall enough to drive his or her car. Is there a height requirement? I’ve never seen one of those “You have to be THIS tall to drive” posters at the DMV, but it seems to me that height would be more of an issue in driving a car than in riding a roller coaster.

Anyway, while he or she was evidently sitting patiently, I, on the other hand, was very much displeased with having to wait and almost wished I’d turned and driven through the bank parking lot instead, except that it would’ve been illegal and therefore wrong.

And speaking of wrong, this particular spot of this Franklin Turnpike/Piney Forest Road intersection is wrong. Really wrong.

Look through that car’s windshield. See the curve of the curb on the right? That gives you some idea of how far it is between the white line that should mark the stopping point, as today’s driver so nicely displays, to the actual intersection.

In order to implement my right to right, I have to venture out many feet (not a good mental measurer) to the edge of the heaviest-trafficked street in the city.

Who thought this one up? It looks like someone along the way would’ve realized this was a bad plan.

But since Kevin just informed me that the bank parking lot alterna-plan was a no-go not only because it was wrong but also because the building is no longer a bank and a chain blocks the lot on both ends, I guess I shouldn’t be blaming anyone else for not thinking something all the way through, huh?

42/365: Dum-Dum-Da-Dum (alternatively: Valentine, Be Mine?!)

Getting Valentine’s Day cards ready for Monday, Lucas helped check off the names of the kids in his class until he got check-happy and checked half the class before making their cards.

That’s when I stepped in and marked with a line each one we’d already made as he called out the names.

It was interesting watching Lucas decide which card (and which flavor Dum Dum) to give to which of his classmates. He wrote all 17 of them. Pretty neatly, too, if I may add.

Atticus picked out a few of the cards he’s taking to Susie’s (our sitter/preschool teacher) but was distracted as usual, so I got to pick out most of those and write all of them.

And by the time Kevin came home with dinner from Pizza Hut, we were done.

Lucas, pointing to the box: It says, “Dum Dum Pops.”
Kevin: Don’t say that! They’re probably pretty smart.

;(

41/365: Cough Drop Pep Talk

I wonder how many of these cough drops I went through before noticing the sayings.

At the very least, half a bag.

Admittedly, I usually unwrap without paying much attention. Today was the exception.

And after reading “Turn ‘can do’ into ‘can did!'”? I have to admit that I was wishing it hadn’t been. ๐Ÿ˜‰