January's unusual experience

 My car wasn't THIS bad!

 

                Januarys are times most of us reassess, recalibrate our habits, our goals and decide on a new path for the coming year.  Yeah, yeah, but how many of us keep to the project? Still, it’s a positive, encouraging way to attempt.

                Late last year, when one of my long-time doctors, retired, he told me to find a GP, have blood work done so the new doc could continue or change my statin, which had run out. So, I knew that in January, I had to get to Dr. A asap. I called, scheduled an appointment for nine a.m. the first Monday of the month. That was awfully early for an old person, but I had plenty of clothes and coats. The day came: I bundled up, added new snowflake earrings Lydia had made for me, a knitted cap Dot gave the writers for Christmas, fished gloves from the dresser, got my keys, phone, purse, locked the front door and went to the car.

                The temp that night was to be twenty-three degrees. Son said no need to park under the shed porch because there would be no frost, but that I should check the windshield before I left. Ready, I put the key in the door of the Taurus. Nothing. Pulled. Pulled. Pulled. Not a smidgen of movement. Went to the trunk (I don’t know why), it wouldn’t open either! Eek!

                Nothing to do but let myself back into the house, call the doc’s office and unload my icy story. I did and was put on “extended hold.” Periodically, a voice interrupted the music with “We are experiencing longer than usual holds.” I couldn’t dare hang up, so with one hand holding the phone to my ear, I began taking down Christmas decorations. Electric candles from four living room windows. I couldn’t unscrew the nightlight bulbs before storing the candle sets, so I went to the mantel and gently placed the pieces of a porcelain Nativity scene on the coffee table, followed by other, less-prone-to- breakage pieces of other sets. I retrieved the silk poinsettia garlands from the windows, made a pile on the floor. Looked on bookshelves for decorations and found many stocking hangers and Santa Clauses. Down they came and went into a plastic bin of other types of Christmas décor.

                Finally, the receptionist came on the line; I told her my predicament, and we rescheduled for the following Friday at nine-fifteen a.m.! I asked her if there wasn’t a later time and she said Dr. A. only did checkups early.

                Wouldn’t you know it, Thursday night the temps dropped again to 23 degrees. But I was ready this time: I’d parked under the shed porch. Reliving my bundling up including the snowflake earrings, I successfully managed to get to the medical building on time. A good physical: everything checked out. The lab will send blood results when they come back. Whew!

                Lesson: try not to schedule appointments during January.

c 2022, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA