How Could a Day that Started Out So Badly End So Well?

At 7:30am the telephone ran. Who would call me at 7:30? It was the desk at the Redwoods: "You have to get up and move your car because workers are there and if you don't move it right now you'll be trapped behind all that equipment."

I apologized profusely and promised to immediately move my car. Then I thought, what do I need to take with me? Car keys, of course. Will I have to park in the Safeway parking lot (with their overflow parking places)? Then I thought, how can I? I haven't driven for over a year. I called the desk back and explained they had woken me up and in my stupor and I'd forgot I can't move my car. She said okay and, in minutes, a young man arrived and asked: "What brand is your car and what color?" I couldn't remember the name. I said: "It starts with a S." He said: "Oh, a Subaru" and asked the color.

He said he'd move the car and leave the keys at the front desk. So I felt since I had been awakened so rudely, I would do the rest of my chores. I took off all my night clothes and starting cleaned the cat box. Then there was knock at the door. I thought to myself, now what? I'm naked (I don't like to work with smelly stuff with clothes on). How do I handle this problem?

So I found my robe, put that on, clutched it to my chin and went to the door. There stood the most gorgeous man -- one of our bus drivers, young and blonde and so extremely tall. There he was with the car keys in his hand. He had been sent down from the office to deliver my keys. I know they want me to move my car from where it's parked now in the front, but of course I can't. So there it sits in the front.

Then I got ready for my luncheon with my handsome son-in-law.

My New Year's Resolution -- 2014

I started taking a medical bus here at the Redwoods for periodic blood tests. My first time taking the bus was frightening because I had to stand with my walker on this little shelf that raises up to the level of the bus and I thought to myself: they don't know how much I weigh. How do they know I'll get up there?

Now, I do my own blood tests and phone in the results to a clinic. Because I'm not yet 100% successful doing it myself at home, I receive phone calls from the clinic.

A woman calls me from the blood testing office. She speaks through some sort of a machine that makes her sound like she'd been dead for more than a month. And she says in an outlandish and scary voice to check that I'm who she wants me to be.

It scares me so much to hear this voice from beyond that I hang up and do not write down the number I'm supposed to call back.

She'll have to call me again, next time preferably with her own voice. It's scary for people as old as I am; her voice is fraught with scary images.

When I was done needing to go by a long bus ride to the blood clinic, I said I'm through with this now and I'll investigate the other buses which will take me out to outings, shopping, lunch...

Today was my first step toward that intention, though ended up not working because the bus arrived with no lift. Next time will better because we'll let Art my favorite bus driver know that I need a lift. I know I can get up the steps and I just know I can't climb back down again and need the lift.