An unintended project

It began as most evenings do this time of year
Cocktail hour on the front porch
Dear friends due to arrive momentarily for an evening of firepit fun

When all of the sudden...
Disaster Struck:

     PS when I read books to my kiddos at school I use storytelling liberties

     several times in each reading, a gasp, a subtle: but then dun dun dun

     it makes me feel better as I read the same story over and over and over

     this week it's Pig's Can't Fly, a good book the first 3 times I read it

Note to self:  sitting on the 'good side' of the swing won't work

you will still fall

We made a plan, a goal really

Can we have it fixed by next weekend?

Yes it can!  Thanks to my awesome handyman

And the hardware shop down the street for the multiple trips it took

Sometimes it's hard to remember the piece of wood and the bolts

We had contemplated painting the swing anyhow

Picking out this paint color was the bright spot in the day of my car getting crunched

Painting a porch swing is very tedious work

But it totally brightens up our porch 

and complements the turquoise rocking chair exquisitly

I love my car

A lot

It's carried me on spontaneous road trips
It's housed all my belongings as I moved back and forth across the continental divide

I know where I was while rolling over 50k and 60k and 100k
     driving the coast highway on my way to work, cruising through Utah, and returning 
     from a spontaneous St Louis adventure (right after their epic flood)

My car has driven me to Cali and Wyoming and Colorado and Montana and Minnesota and New York and Maryland and Tennessee and dozens of places in between

My car has inspired big detours: a dirt road in Montana because it was the most direct line between 2 points

And little detours: wait? Did that sign say wine tasting today?
My car and I have seen amazing things

My car prefers taking side roads instead of crowded freeways

My car knows how to find the closest jack in the box at any given time

My car always gets its kicks on Route 66

 
On any given day in my car you'll find lotions and hand sanitizer and crackers and rain boots and winter coats and blankets
Some may say I kinda live out of my car, multiple times I actually have
It drives Jesse crazy, but I love it

We've had the discussion always more hypothetical than reality
One day this will not be my car
One day ill have to say goodbye and get a new one

I've warned that this will not be easy
I will be sad and emotional and delay it as long as I possibly can

Well, driving into work my car had a moment
It's always the young drivers who like to crunch their cars with mine
Not a good way to start a Monday

I am fine
My car? Much less so
It just got new tires and its belts are all tight and fabulous
And now it is all crunchy

We had a conversation, my guy and me
What's the chances they'll be totaling my car?
Cause as much as I love her she is getting up there
And not everyone loves her as much as I do
This is going to be a long process
Should I start preparing myself?
I don't want to be caught off guard
My guy knows me well: he took a deep breath, said yes maybe so
And honey, order yourself a bottle of wine

3 days later and my car is all fixed and getting itself a fresh new coat of paint!
Yay for insurance companies (who though I'd ever say that)
Yay for getting my car back
Now i'm itching for another adventure