It was 2:00 in the afternoon and hot as hell. I'd finished two client meetings and wanted to run to Michaels to buy a new canvas. Yes - "another" canvas!
I am painting again after 34 years!!! I'm not done with the painting shown here, but I just fell in love with a photo I took of pelicans on the boardwalk at Fort Myers Beach.
Yes, crude and whimsical IS the look I'm going for. And yes, I DO hope to get better at it. Eventually I will make my Grandpa proud.
(Grandpa used to paint for beer; and his landscapes were excellent.)
I'll be finishing over the weekend, am running out of paint ... and can't wait to start on the next one. It's creatively satisfying and requires no thought.
I pulled into the mall and noticed a large young woman puttering by on a spiffy red scooter with matching helmet. Dork-o-rama, short-bus ... call it what you like, I am one with the bikers, whether they're riding Harleys or these little electric import jobs.
I noted with approval that she was being very cautious, keeping to sidewalks and well away from traffic.
I found a spot directly across from Michaels and was getting out of my car when I heard a crash - the young lady tripped getting off her scooter and it had fallen on her. Like the time my uncle's motorcycle fell on him in a White Castle parking lot. Drunk and pinned under his bike, he ate a pack of cigarettes so the cops wouldn't smell the booze on his breath.
But I digress...
I am painting again after 34 years!!! I'm not done with the painting shown here, but I just fell in love with a photo I took of pelicans on the boardwalk at Fort Myers Beach.
Yes, crude and whimsical IS the look I'm going for. And yes, I DO hope to get better at it. Eventually I will make my Grandpa proud.
(Grandpa used to paint for beer; and his landscapes were excellent.)
I'll be finishing over the weekend, am running out of paint ... and can't wait to start on the next one. It's creatively satisfying and requires no thought.
I pulled into the mall and noticed a large young woman puttering by on a spiffy red scooter with matching helmet. Dork-o-rama, short-bus ... call it what you like, I am one with the bikers, whether they're riding Harleys or these little electric import jobs.
I noted with approval that she was being very cautious, keeping to sidewalks and well away from traffic.
I found a spot directly across from Michaels and was getting out of my car when I heard a crash - the young lady tripped getting off her scooter and it had fallen on her. Like the time my uncle's motorcycle fell on him in a White Castle parking lot. Drunk and pinned under his bike, he ate a pack of cigarettes so the cops wouldn't smell the booze on his breath.
But I digress...
Four of us rushed over to see if we could help The Girl. As I made it to the scene a man was trying to plant the kick stand so the scooter wouldn't fall over on her again.
The Girl said "no, the other one - it will fall over if you don't get the other one."
The Girl said "no, the other one - it will fall over if you don't get the other one."
Note that I saw two clients today. I'm looking as ladylike as I get, in tasteful linen pants, a lime green tee and sheer silk jacket in varying shades of green. I stepped in front of the man, pressed the larger stand to the concrete with the sole of my sandal (like I'd done it a million times before) and told him to pull back on the bike; it snapped securely into place.
I have no idea how I knew to do that.
I have no idea how I knew to do that.
Everyone was impressed. "ARE YOU A BIKER???" I said, "no, I just write for bikers." Realizing, of course, how weird that sounds coming from a middle-aged grandmother in Florida's version of business casual.
The girl was in a lot of pain. Apparently she did more of a fall onto a curb than a graceful dismount from the bike. She had such a severe weight problem we weren't able to help her into a more comfortable position.
Her leg was pretty much useless and her arm was messed up. She was in too much pain to even move herself up to the curb, so she sat on scalding hot blacktop.
A nice blonde lady offered to go get her something cold to drink while we waited for help and I ran for an umbrella to keep the beating sun off her.
The Girl wasn't quite right, a little slow maybe. We got her to call her parents, which was a little upsetting. You expected to hear her respond "yeah, I hurt my arm and leg ..."; instead she said "No dad, the bike is ok, the bike is ok."
I'm thinking I want to kick some dad ass.
Four of us stood there waiting and waiting and waiting for "dad" to arrive. All The Girl could see from that angle was feet and ankles. She liked the color my toenail polish. I apoligized for the paint job, saying I hadn't expected they'd be inspected so closely.
The girl was in a lot of pain. Apparently she did more of a fall onto a curb than a graceful dismount from the bike. She had such a severe weight problem we weren't able to help her into a more comfortable position.
Her leg was pretty much useless and her arm was messed up. She was in too much pain to even move herself up to the curb, so she sat on scalding hot blacktop.
A nice blonde lady offered to go get her something cold to drink while we waited for help and I ran for an umbrella to keep the beating sun off her.
The Girl wasn't quite right, a little slow maybe. We got her to call her parents, which was a little upsetting. You expected to hear her respond "yeah, I hurt my arm and leg ..."; instead she said "No dad, the bike is ok, the bike is ok."
I'm thinking I want to kick some dad ass.
Four of us stood there waiting and waiting and waiting for "dad" to arrive. All The Girl could see from that angle was feet and ankles. She liked the color my toenail polish. I apoligized for the paint job, saying I hadn't expected they'd be inspected so closely.
Everyone laughed.
A cell phone rang. The older gentleman started bragging about his college degrees and his brilliant granddaughter who had turned her back on a full scholarship to Duke before harping on the evils of technology. Computers? BAD! Cell phones? THE WORST!! !
We joined forces to defend technology.
The Girl said she was very glad she had a cell phone because it had just helped her in an emergency.
I told him I love not having to run home to check emails.
The blonde woman said she liked being connected with her kids at all times.
But he kept complaining.
After about 45 minutes his wife came up with shopping bags and whispered in his ear. He excused himself, saying he hoped everything would be OK. He had to be home at 4:00 for an important call.
I couldn't resist. I told him if he had a cell phone, he wouldn't have to go home and wait.
What a dinosaur.
The gray van pulled up about ten minutes later. It might as well have been Stevie Wonder behind the wheel ... I had to tell them where to park, like I was guiding a plane into a hangar. I'm thinking "If you park near your daughter maybe we will be able to get her up to and into your van."
The Girl's dad turned out to be a distracted older German man and the woman had to be her grandmother; she was so old she could barely open the door let alone walk to the injured girl.
The father glanced at his daughter, took a good look at the bike and then went BLANK. I explained I'd seen her operating the scooter and she had been doing a fine job. He didn't care.
There was no way he and the elderly woman were going to get The Girl into the van. By this time it's just me and the other blonde attempting to manage the situation. We gave each other knowing looks and I said we needed to call the police; hopefully they would help.
To my relief, all three agreed.
The Girl's dad turned out to be a distracted older German man and the woman had to be her grandmother; she was so old she could barely open the door let alone walk to the injured girl.
The father glanced at his daughter, took a good look at the bike and then went BLANK. I explained I'd seen her operating the scooter and she had been doing a fine job. He didn't care.
There was no way he and the elderly woman were going to get The Girl into the van. By this time it's just me and the other blonde attempting to manage the situation. We gave each other knowing looks and I said we needed to call the police; hopefully they would help.
To my relief, all three agreed.
I helped grandma back to the van and her dad could damned well stand there and fry if he didn't have the brains to get out of the sun.
My friend Connie breeds geese with more brains than those two.
I called 911 and explained the situation. Within 5 minutes a big fire truck and large ambulance were on the scene. They asked her age - 28. They asked for a rundown of medications and she rattled off something like 5, most I've never heard. Some were for seizures, some were for arthritis. (???)
They confirmed that I had been ASKED to call 911. (I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't been asked - I imagine I might have been legally responsible for picking up the tab?)
The Girl was asked to choose between taking the ambulance to emergency or being helped to her dad's van and going to the doctor. They chose choice #2; it took three good-sized medics ten minutes to get her the 8 feet to the van and into the back seat.
When everything was under control and I knew she was OK, I continued on to Michael's. I wonder how that happens ...
I wonder how a man like that gets custody of his daughter.
And I wonder how he can care enough to buy her a sweet little red electric scooter and matching helmet and not give a shit when she hurts herself.
My friend Connie breeds geese with more brains than those two.
I called 911 and explained the situation. Within 5 minutes a big fire truck and large ambulance were on the scene. They asked her age - 28. They asked for a rundown of medications and she rattled off something like 5, most I've never heard. Some were for seizures, some were for arthritis. (???)
They confirmed that I had been ASKED to call 911. (I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't been asked - I imagine I might have been legally responsible for picking up the tab?)
The Girl was asked to choose between taking the ambulance to emergency or being helped to her dad's van and going to the doctor. They chose choice #2; it took three good-sized medics ten minutes to get her the 8 feet to the van and into the back seat.
When everything was under control and I knew she was OK, I continued on to Michael's. I wonder how that happens ...
I wonder how a man like that gets custody of his daughter.
And I wonder how he can care enough to buy her a sweet little red electric scooter and matching helmet and not give a shit when she hurts herself.
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