Driving in Washington, DC can be dangerous for your health

Today I was reminded of an adventure I had in the 1990s. I was sitting at a stoplight in Washington, DC after attending a meeting, and noticed that the Smithsonian Air and Space museum was to the right. I sat there trying to decide if I just wanted to go home or should I slip into the museum and do more research for my Wright brothers book.  

Unnoticed by me, the light turned green. The car to the left of me moved into the intersection only to be completely smashed by a car driving on the crossroad who had run the red light. Because I had been distracted by the Air and Space museum and didn't move when the light turned green, the accident completely missed me. 

I suspect that the driver causing the accident had been checking messages on their phone.

(yes, I decided to turn right -- there's no way I could have continued straight ahead because of the accident.)

O Christmas Tree

 

Everyone posting pictures of their Christmas trees remind me of something my husband told me. 

One year on Christmas break from college, his parents asked him to take down the Christmas tree and put away the ornaments. He forgot. When he came back home for Easter break, there was the tree - all brown, most of the needles dropped off and in piles on the floor around it. It was terrible to clean up, but it was all his to do.

Will it come in time for Christmas?

I just ordered a present for my grandson. Estimated delivery for standard delivery was December 24. Hmmm, sez me. I'll pay the extra $15 for expedited delivery. 

Now the estimated delivery date is -- drum roll -- December 23. 

Really????

Christmas Choir memories

 It's that time of year, again.  But this year choirs are singing together over zoom.

I sang the Messiah with my high school chorus and loved it.  

So years later, when our church invited members to add themselves to the adult choir to sing the Christmas part (or it might have been just the Hallelujah Chorus) one December, I jumped at the chance. We had several practices and the choir director gave us a tape to play in our car to sing with as we drove to and from work for more practice. (I'm alto) On the big day, first the teen choir walked in singing (my daughter was in the teen choir), then we adults followed. My daughter was so surprised to see me on the other side of the church singing with the adult choir! I hadn't told her what I was doing. 　

No more Book Expo

 Book Expo is closing down.  Here are some of my memories of this yearly event:

I used to have a writer friend who lived in NYC, so I'd stay at her high rise apartment sleeping on cushions on the floor and taking cabs or the subway to the Javits Center. Then we'd split. She to go smooze with publishers and editors and get writing assignments; and me to split between librarian-me surrounded by New Books! And Writer me stopping by all my publisher's booths and smoozing.  

I remember not being able to find a place to eat there so I'd exist on banana/ strawberry smoothies which I'd drink at the resting station talking with other writers.  

The author signing lines were long, but fun. One year one of the subjects of my biographies was signing, so I stopped by to talk to her. The year Bruce Coville was signing, he gave me a stack of books to take back to my library to give out as Summer Reading Prizes. (they were paperbacks) I soon learned to take an empty suitcase to the convention center to load giveaway books in.

We will miss this event.  Hopefully something else will replace it after the pandemic is over.

Running out of Gas

I always had adventures when I ran out of gas. Was embarrassed both times and never ran out of gas again. 

Did you know that - if you are wearing a mini dress and bend over looking at your car as if checking something that someone will stop to help you and will go get gas for you?  

That if your car dies because of lack of gas (with your mother in the car) you can just drift back down that hill because there was a gas station at the bottom?  

Where have you lived?

 A Facebook friend asked where their friends lived while growing up.  My answer was very long.

We moved every 3 years or so while I was growing up. I've gone back to several places, but not all. (still want to go back to Monroeton to see if the school is still two rooms for 6 grades) The house in Pottstown, PA was still there. 5th sixth and seventh grades. (My little sister fell from the third floor window onto a bed of ivy, just missing the sidewalk. She was fine.) Once when I was attending American Library Association in Chicago, I came a day early and rented a car to visit my Chicago haunts. The Oliver Wendal Holmes school in Oak Park, IL (also seventh grade) was sorta still there, However, the old school was gone and a new school had been built in what had been our recess (and after school) playground lot. I also saw the house in Glen Ellyn, IL. (eighth and 9th grade) i parked in the driveway and walked around the house and lot. The empty lots around it were now full of houses. A postman asked what I was doing and when I told him, he said the he was the guy who rented the apartment above the garage!!! 

The rest of my High School years we lived in Vienna, WV and I attended Parkersburg High School. (bus student) My parents stayed there while I was in college, but then they moved out of town to a farmhouse with acreage which we visited every year. I married and had children who also enjoyed the 'farm.' We settled just north of Baltimore, MD. My parents eventually retired to Fort Walton Beach, FL and of course we would drive down to visit every year.