Tuesday afternoon, I was headed home with over $250 worth of groceries in the back of my car. Some of which was to make dinner for a family of 8 adults whose grandma had died a couple of days ago. A small school bus stopped in the right hand lane with yellow lights flashing. In the left lane, I slowed, trying to remember what yellow lights mean. Then the lights went red and the stop sign flipped out. I stopped, of course.
Unfortunately, someone else did not.
I certainly felt the impact, but I was not hurt and my airbags did not deploy. I was fine, although I knew Gracie (my car) was not.
The other car front was pretty crumpled. The airbags had deployed, so I could not see the other driver very well nor could I hear her IF she responded to my inquiry if she was alright. There was no blood and there was movement, but it was a little scary. I could see that she was on the phone. When I called 911 a moment later, the accident was already reported, so that may have been her. Help was on the way. CHP and the fire department looked after her and got her out of her car. She appeared undamaged, but her head and shoulder hurt. And she was very shaken.
My sweet daughter-in-law Teresa dropped everything, picked up Andrew, and came to rescue my groceries and me. Thanks to them, I only lost 2 dozen eggs (cracked & scrambled) and a large container of cottage cheese (broken open).
My friend and Relief Society leader Nila happened to call me while I was waiting for AAA shortly after the accident and she immediately assumed responsibility for the dinner I was supposed to take the family, even though she had taken them dinner the day before and I told her that I could make dinner when I got home, but I didn't know what time. Their dinner was on time. Our dinner was a bit late. tasty, but late.
Wednesday was fairly quiet. I was authorized for a rental car, however there wasn't one available. I don't really need one right now. And, if needed, I can borrow from Miriam, or ask Teresa, or another offspring or friend for a little while. I sadly took things out of Gracie, wondering if I would ever put them back.
Thursday. oy vey!
AAA sent a truck to take Gracie to the shop. Later I got the phone call - Gracie was totalled. She absorbed all the impact and sacrificed herself to protect her passenger. After lunch, Teresa took me to the shop to get the things I had forgotten or had been unable to get to. The collision guy, Dustin, got out the dog ramp which was wedged by the impact and opened up the spare wheel well where I had a bicycle bar and chains. We had a nice chat wherein he spoke well of Hondas and sang the praises of his Honda Pilot. I appreciate that he undestands the trauma of losing a car that you really like. I am going to have to fiigure out how much I can afford to spend in addition to whatever amount AAA gives me for Gracie. Will I replace Gracie with another CRV - I really liked that car - or do I want to go a little bigger and get a Pilot? Used, of course. I won't have money for a very recent model, but I do hope to go a little newer than Gracie (2012), as I will need it to last a long time. I probably cannot afford to get a Pilot. I do not plan on going into debt for this.
More fun at The Patch: while I was cooking dinner, Miriam and Joseph discoved that the pipe under the bathroom sink is loose or broken. It cannot have been very long without us noticing, can it? Yet things under the sink were soaked and the bottom of the cabinet is warped. Previous problem? Sometimes it might be nice to be able to call the landlord rather than being the owner.
Yet more fun. Miriam eats in her room and uses plastic disposable plates and utensils because she needs things to be light weight. We wash and reuse them. The plate looked fine when I dished up Miriam's food, but at some point it cracked. Butter on her sheets and mattress protector. Blessings on Andrew! He moved all her stuff off the bed, making sure nothing touched the floor, stripped the
bed, found and put on a sheet. Not the entire bedding package, but enough to get Miriam through the night.
Today is Friday. What will the day hold? Almost certainly better than yesterday, right? I need to get a plumber. I need to wash Miriam's bedding. I need to do homework - Dustin, the collision guy, warned me not to accept the first offer from the insurance company, but to be ready with cost of replacing Gracie at the same age and mileage. I had intended to drive Gracie for years to come and have been robbed through no fault of my own, and I have been paying AAA for years, so it is right to try to get a good settlement. I also need to do research on getting the next car. Such a big responsibility. I need to get it right. Like I did with Gracie.
Still - no fire, flood, hurricane, or terroristic regime. I am grateful! I have my family, home, and food
and many other blessings. And I believe that even when things are horrible, the Lord will make all things right - eventually. May I trust and have faith always in good times and in bad.
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