Missing the Boat

Every year there is a Sloughhouse Reunion for people who have lived here. It’s at the elementary school that I can almost see from my house. I went to this event a couple of times, but when Bob was growing up, every weekend in May and June was eaten up with his school and 4-H stuff. In more recent years I just lost track of the date. It’s sort of embarassing, my brother comes all the way down from Chico to go, and I can’t even waddle up the road a ways to get there.

Well, a couple of days ago Aunt Beth called to remind me about the event and I told her I’d be there. So I ran to Sheldon Feed this a.m. and got my chores done, took a shower, got dressed up, and drove up to the school. There were no other cars in the parking lot. Not a single one. I sat there for a while. Then I called my aunt’s number and no one was home.

There was a time when I was so sharp that not only was I totally on top of everything in my own life, I helped other people stay on track with theirs. These days I have been known to show up a week early for a meeting, or plan all morning to go somewhere and by the afternoon I’ve drifted off to pull weeds or something and forgotten my planned activity.

I thought I must have missed the boat again. So I went on up to the store at Rancho Murieta. When I came back down the road, there were still no cars in the parking lot. Now I was sure I must have pulled one of my famous “showing up on the wrong day” tricks.

I got home, put my scuzzy clothes back on, read a book, took a nap. At 4 p.m. my aunt and uncle show up still wearing name tags from the reunion. Well fooey! I must have had the day right, but not the location.

Nope, my aunt said they were just parking cars behind the school instead of in the front lot.

My brother and other people who don’t even live here figured that out, but I didn’t.

And I really think I’m going to drive to Washington, when I can’t even function in my own neighborhood?

Well, I don’t care, I'm going anyway. It’s not snowing up there, I’m not going to get stranded on the top of some mountain and die in my car. Well, probably not.