Rough night last night. I could not get to sleep. Most nights my head hits the pillow and I’m out. Not last night. And it wasn’t that my brain was busy trying to solve all the problems of the world or that I was mentally rehashing every stupid thing I’d done in the past 10 years. I just couldn’t fall asleep. I eventually did but I woke up this morning knowing that my head would be nodding as we drove. I was right about that, and when it happened, I missed a crucial part of the Harry Bosch book. After we finished it, I went back and listened to chapters 42 & 43 with earbuds so I could fill in the missing action.
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Today was the last leg of the trip and we were just anxious to get it done. No Roadside America side trips this time. Before the ice storm, we had thought we’d be home by Saturday, which would have given us a couple of days to ease back into life. Because of the ice storm, we didn’t leave until Friday, which doesn’t give us any time to let our bodies adjust to the time changes of the last couple of days. Have to hit the ground running tomorrow.
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Today we had wind again…all the way home. The truck kicked off the cruise several times today because of the swaying. It was the Kansas kind of wind that makes me involuntarily twitch and brace myself as it tries to push us off the road. While it stretched what was supposed to be a six hour trip into nine hours, I’m so very grateful for a safe trip home.
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I was so absorbed in listening to the book today that I missed the Pure Michigan sign. Wasn’t even aware where we were. Luckily, there’s a rest area whose access loops around and I got another shot at taking a picture of the sign. On a day where the main purpose is getting home, there’s not a lot of picture opportunities.
Therefore, the Pure Michigan sign is important.
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Turned onto Barnard Road about 5:45 p.m. I was a little apprehensive about what we’d encounter as far as the aftermath of the ice storm was concerned. Devastation, destruction, chaos…these words and more had been used to describe what area. But they were also spoken or written by people who had
The ‘picture tree’ in the front yard will never be the same, but it survived. There are limbs that need tobe cut off, but the base of the tree is still there. Grandkiddos will still be able to compete for the highest spot in the split trunk when it’s time for family pictures. The other white birch in the yard is in about the same condition…broken but salvageable. As soon as the chill is out of the air, we’ll have to start clearing the debris.
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It’s great to get away but it sure is good to get home. I’m looking forward to getting back into our life.
