A week late...

...but not a dollar short. At least, not yet! My apologies for being so long in getting this post up. Life has a funny way of getting in the way sometimes. In fact...let me share with you what my week's been like...

It actually all started on Thursday, June 4th. I'm on my way to my day job, just as I have been for the past twenty-five years. About a year ago I started taking a different route as I was pretty bored with the orginal one (Boring? Twenty-three years traveling the same route day in and day out becomes mind-numbing!). The sun had just peeked over the horizon to my left, the sky was cloudless and all was right with the world.

...Until my car hit something and came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the road. Not until I saw the deer flying threw the air did I realize what I'd hit. My car stalled (I drive a standard) and I shook for several seconds as I fished my cellphone out of my pocket and debated, "Do I call my husband first or 911? Or a tow truck? Triple A? I can't remember!"

Now, I'm not usually a dither-er, but this particular time, I just couldn't think. Yes, I said "this particular time." You see, in these twenty-five years of traveling thirty miles to work and thirty miles home every day, this is the third deer I've managed to slay. In fact, Deerslayer is now the official name of my car at the shop, since two of those deer I've gotten with this car.

Unfortunately, this is the first deer I've hit that wasn't killed on impact. His back leg was broken and he crawled to the edge of the road and fell into the ditch. He couldn't get out the other side and I felt terrible. I'm not a gun owner and am not used to gunshots, so it wasn't fun asking the sheriff who came to go put the deer out of it's misery. But I knew it was for the best and I turned my back and didn't watch. Even though I was ready for it, I still jumped when the gun went off.

As for my car, we thought it might end up being totaled, but since the airbags didn't go off...which, by the way, I'm of a mixed mind about. I mean, I'm glad they didn't go off as I'm not tall and have the seat fairly close to the steering wheel so I can reach the pedals. If it had gone off I'd have ended up with a broken nose and smashed glasses. On the other hand...if they don't go off when I hit a deer broadside...will they EVER go off????

Anyway, since the airbags didn't deploy, they didn't have to total the car. It did, however, take them the week to repair. The collision shop did a great job (you can't tell it was ever in an accident), but that meant I had no car for a whole week. An entire week of begging a ride from someone in a neighboring town who had to go out of her way to pick me up and take me home every day. An entire week of juggling schedules so four people could share one car (I love the fact that both my kids are at the driving or learning-to-drive stage of their lives. Now if only they could afford their OWN cars!). An entire week of having my writing schedule totally thrown out of whack.

...and that's my excuse for not posting when I was supposed to. I wasn't hurt or in shock or anything like that. Just a case of real life getting in the way of good intentions.

Till next time...play safe!
Diana