Thursday, January 24, 2019

Cracking Up & Seeking That Bright Side

As January comes toward a close, I’m finding 2019 is no improvement over 2018. We just can’t quite catch a break.

After an unsuccessful effort to eradicate my fish tank’s deadly ich parasite with higher temperatures, that heater stopped working through my attempts to bring temperatures down from a reasonable 86 F to a more ‘typhoid’ mollie friendly 78. An older unit brought out of long retirement refused to regulate.

This ordeal was costing me sleep. Slight adjustments resulted in ten degree swings in a matter of hours.

The night before last I set my iPod’s timer to wake me about every two hours and fifteen minutes so I could intervene and prevent extreme spikes or plummets. That’s more intense timing than a rescued kitten demands! In a funny twist, it was better rest than I’d been getting, lying half awake all night long.

So, with my husband’s encouragement, yesterday I drove us out to lunch and a pet store where they happened to stock the very make and model I’d considered.

It’s an Aqueon Pro 100 costing over $50, but I’m happy to report it’s pretty well holding to 77.4 F since installation. In retrospect, I should have shopped on Chewy.com.

Oh, well. All that was about to become the least of our concerns.

Almost home with purchase in hand, we were slammed into by a hit and run driver. The sedan heading toward us sped up to blow through a traffic light turning red as I rushed to turn left and clear the intersection.

I’m happy to report we are uninjured aside from my husband’s understandable back ache. He thinks it actually happened getting in and out of the police officer’s SUV.

That lead officer on sight, a lieutenant, acted very professional and sympathetic. After overseeing my beloved Chevy Volt loaded on the flatbed tow truck, he broke protocol and drove us the two miles or so to our front door.

It’s amazing that I don’t suffer so much as a bruise or a twinge. I credit this in part due to my muscle tone from all those weightlifting sessions. In addition, my intense thought process preceding the collision might have provided a distraction keeping me from tensing up.

Of course I wanted to avoid that accident. However, in the microseconds beforehand, I estimated that straightening our trajectory would result in a head on impact. That would be bad. My split second decision to resume course meant our tank of a Volt got hit on the right front fender instead.

The criminal hit us so hard we sat incapacitated facing the other direction, able to watch those dwindling taillights headed west. Yet with no air bags deployed, the car may not be written off as a total loss. We shall see. I’m crossing my fingers.

Shaken, I sat with the engine running and my foot on the break pedal well after police were called. A kind stranger checked on us before sirens approached. Paramedics cleared us with rainy conversation through my open window. I watched firemen sweeping up debris while photographs were taken and the situation assessed.

The best part of all of this? That perpetrator fleeing the scene did not realize that she left a calling card in the form of her front license plate. The idiot kept going because police had a warrant for her arrest. I didn’t get the pleasure of seeing her handcuffed, but it’s probably for the best.

You see, for a nonviolent person, I’ve often wondered if I could resist punching someone in the face for so much as denting my Volt. So there’s that; I’m not stewing in a cell next to that piece of garbage awaiting bail.

How is your week wrapping up?

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10 comments:

  1. I'm glad you're okay. Yikes. You and cars of late. Oh well, cars you can replace if need be, but people you can't. What a horrific thing. I'm glad she'll be in jail and now with the warrant she already had she has the added hit and run. Bless her heart.

    Have a fabulous day, Darla. Big hug. ♥

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    1. Thank you! I really need to count my blessings. Be well!

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  2. Oh, dear... The best thing is you are both okay. As one whose car was totaled two weeks ago, I can say, that's what matters. You can get another car. I kept telling my daughter, "I't just a car," and am surprised I really felt that way! I loved that car...
    I hope it's okay you were turning left. In my state, and the one where I lived before, left hand turners are always at fault!
    My week is pretty much like the other weeks so far this year. Not great! I'm now scheduled for a cataract surgery and a colonoscopy! And, of course, looking for a car near to the amount the insurance paid me for mine (less deductible of course!).
    Hope you and your husband continue to feel okay. My daughter's aches didn't start until the day after, so you might want to see your doctor tomorrow. Oh, I hope that loser that hit you had insurance!

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    1. I'm so glad your daughter is okay, too! So far, I still feel fine. Need to run around today doing related errands, but at least our insurance company jumped on the issue. Police didn't even ask me what happened as soon as they learned the other driver absconded. Heh... Be well!

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  3. I laughed out loud when you said she left behind her license plate. Totally cool.

    Sorry about the accident, though. Take care. You might find you're sore after a couple days.

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  4. On no. That's so traumatizing. And your car! I would be lost without my car, unable to even get groceries unless I walk several miles. I'm not wealthy enough to use delivery services, now everywhere, for getting anything you want to your doorstep, including cat food from Costco. A driver whom I know says it adds $5 per bag to the cost. Anyhow, I hope the car can be salvaged and fixed. I am happy you are both alive to tell about it.

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    1. Thank you for the kind word. I'm with you on saving that kind of money. But we are blessed to have a second and reliable vehicle. ~hugs~ Take care, my dear.

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  5. Well, my week has been yucky to say the least......but I know that we all have bad issues they might just be a tad different than someone else's. So, so sorry that you are dealing with all this and really glad that you both are ok.

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    1. Your tribulations are so much tougher. ~hugs~ Thank you for the support, my dear.

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