These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Friday, August 10, 2007

Day Trip to UFO City ... NOT!!

I've been here long enough to begin losing the memory of how hot and miserable it can be in other places. Oh, of course I read or hear about the heat wave in the Midwest or along the Eastern seaboard, and I know that 95 or 101 is miserable even before the heat index is figured in. And I know that 115 in Nevada is HOT, no matter what. It's not as if I'm out of touch with realities other than my personal experience of the moment. But when my temps have been around 85 most of the summer, i reserve the right to enjoy it removed from the heat waves elsewhere.

Yesterday I drove to Roswell (yes, the one of UFO crash fame again....and BTW, I'll come back to that in a bit). The Gallery had some printing done, and I was picking that up. Not to waste a trip, I also planned several personal errands since Roswell has lots of stores that we don't here, Hobby Lobby, and Target being at the top of that list. I also made several calls to furniture stores to locate trundle beds for my guest room, and planned to shop for one while there. Big day, indeed.

Before I left the house yesterday, the forecast for Roswell was 97 degrees. Yuck. But ... it's a dry heat ... I could live with that. Then I saw on TV that the high was to be 100. Well, OK, I'll hurry through the errands.

I won't bore you with the morbid details, but Gail and I found shade for the one place that we couldn't take the dogs in with us, Target, and we did that first. We scurried around the store and got what we needed. Within about 25 minutes I had bras and panties, 3 pillows, 6 sets of sheets, a dish scrubber, bedroom slippers, wine glasses and several other items, and we were back to the truck. The babies were just fine, not overheated at all, but they enjoyed stretching their legs for a few minutes while I secured everything in the bed of the truck before moving on. A stop at Home depot for some Masonite for an artist doing some signs for us at the store was fairly quick. Gail and the dogs lounged in some shade, and frankly I was hotter in the store. It was miserable in there!

By now, the temp on my thermometer was 95, and I was completely miserable. I had sweated so much that my hair was a curly mess on top of my head. I looked at Gail and said that I was not going to Hobby Lobby because it was way off the path. I said that we should get two business stops done. One was to meet the people in the accountant's office so they know me and vice versa. Only one person was in. Lunch time. Bah. The other was to pick up the printing, and to talk with them about printing my photos.

Welllll. Only one of four jobs was done. Hello??? I just drove about 70 miles and you couldn't have called to save me a trip???? I extracted a promise to call me when it is ready, and got out of the place before I exploded. Between the heat and the inconsideration, I was near it. And I completely forgot to talk with them about the printing for me. ARRGGHHHH!

Gail wanted to go to an ATM at her own bank. We circled and found no drive-up ATM, and she elected to be broke rather than walk inside with the heat. I then canceled all the other errands (for furniture) because I was just so miserable. In fact, so was Gail and so were the dogs. When you're in and out of the car that much, it heats up in between, and when we would get back in it took several minutes to cool off. We'd be at the next destination before we could be comfortable. I just wanted to go home to the cool mountain!

We stopped at Sonic to eat. I ordered a Route 44 cherry limeade, and it helped a lot. After eating, we felt better, and Ali enjoyed a few french fries with me. China was so miserable that she wouldn't even eat them, and that girl will eat anything!

As we left for home, the thermometer was 97 (and we were still in the shade of canopies at Sonic). Ahead of us we could see clouds had built over the mountains, and it occurred to me that, of course, the impending storms had pushed humidity out toward Roswell, and combined with the temp, it was just a sauna of proportions that I haven't experienced for quite a while! Duh!

By the time I'd driven 45 miles, we were climbing altitude, the showers weren't far away, and the temp was .... a wonderful 63! I'm soooooooooooo, SOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I live where I do! Damn, were we all four exhausted.

Now about the Roswell UFO crash of decades ago..... if you notice carefully the details of what you read about it, it does not say it was at Roswell, but near Roswell. Well, not too! The site, as Gail and I recently discovered on maps, was actually closer to Capitan than Roswell! Of course Capitan is a teeny town and Roswell, even then was larger AND it had an Air Force base back then. I suppose if you're the bigger bully and have military muscle, you can claim the rights to exploit the event. The crash site was actually close to the end of the Capitan Mountain range (remember that it is one of the very few that runs East and West), so if you get out your maps and look at the Eastern end of the range, that is approximately where it crashed. It was actually in Lincoln county, not the one where Roswell is. Huh. How history is tweaked by such details, eh?

OK, that's the history lesson for the day. Get your maps and study, now! There will be a test!!! And don't forget that East-West thing, either!

:)

9 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Route 44 cherry limeade--- we go to SONIC about every other evening so my husband can get one of those.

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  3. Since you know how miserable I am right now with this damn heat, I do not need to tell you how I am hating summer right now. Wish I was where you are. I was just telling S. that I can't wait to come back and visit since my last trip was not under the best circumstances. She loves stars and I was telling her about the amazing night skies you have.

    Thanks for mentioning Sonic. Guess where I am going to stop on the way home for a lemon slushie. Oh, that sounds soooooooo good and cool.

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  4. MLM - I rarely drink any soft drink, let alone a GIANT one like that, but yesterday, it tasted wonderful!

    Caroline - Wow, that lemon slushie sounds good! I'll have to try that next time. Yesterday, I was so miserable I couldn't think, and "cherry limeade" was all that I could come up with!

    You need to get out of KC as badly as I did. Well, it will come when the time is right. Till then, you can visit any time you want!

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  5. You're such a great story teller. I felt like I was sitting in the back of your pretty blue truck, riding along with you. And you're right, it WAS hot...lol.

    Speaking of hot, did you happen to see what the temps have been here in GA? OMG....Wednesday, 103, Thursday, 102 and yesterday, 102. And right now, it's only 11:51am and it's ALREADY 92!!! ARGH!!!

    Today sounds like a day to do any errands on line...Hee Hee!

    Have a great weekend.

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  6. What a day! We don't have a Sonic around here so I'll just have to dream about cherry limeade!

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  7. Dawn - Durn tootin', it was hot!!! giggle!

    Yes, I've watched the weather and been SOOOO thankful I'm right here! My nephew lives near Atlanta, and he's grousing! I was there when my daughter lived there about 9 years ago. The humidity was horrific, and I was very glad it wasn't as hot as it might have been!

    Traci - NO SONIC??? Lawdy, girl, you live a certainly deprived life!!! Next time I have one, I'll drink to you, OK?

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  8. Wonderful history lesson Lynilu.
    I love Sonic's Route 44 diet dr pepper add cherry & vanilla lite ice. Ahhh........

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  9. Patti - I've been known to have that same drink, but without the "diet." Oh, and usually not a Route 44 ... that's a lotta drinkin'!!!

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!