Posted by
William D. Dannenmaier on Saturday, July 31, 2010 7:55:28 PM
Sheila had to run to town to buy some groceries, so I seized the opportunity to mow the grass down at the black smith shop. I had finished most of it, as much as I intended to do, when Stephen showed up with ice water and a comment about an irate mother. When I got back, after receiving her question as to what sort of an idiot would mow grass when it was 96 in the shade, I said I had several reasons:
a. I had nothing to do and it was a choice between sitting on the porch and smoking or mowing grass, and I thought mowing grass was healthier, or
b. I needed a shower, but wasn’t really dirty, so I decided to get good and dirty first to avoid wasting water on a reasonably clean body, or
c. Mr. Loggins was mowing his grass and he was ten years younger than I: it was a matter of competition. (Fortunately, she didn’t bring up that he had a riding mower, or
d. All of the above.
She didn’t answer me. Sometimes she doesn’t answer me. Unfortunately, sometimes she does.
On the way to church this morning, Sheila commented that I would have to spend Tuesday with her at the hospital in Nashville. She said, “They’ve told me I’ll be sleepy. A responsible person will have to sit in when they are giving me instructions as to what to do when I’m released because I won’t remember anything. Mom can’t go, Megaera’s in class, Cindy is working and Joyce is still recovering from hip replacement. That leaves you.”
With visions of Black Forest whipped cream cake and our famous sand tarts flipping thought my head, I replied, “That means you will have to do everything I say.”
“Not everything.”
“You are suspicious.”
“I am more than suspicious, I am all knowing.”
On our way to the hospital in Nashville, we stopped to get Sheila’s drivers’ license updated. The lady took it and kept it. She said that Sheila’s driving privileges had been revoked, although she couldn’t say why, the space for that on the revocation order was blank. Since a photo ID was required for her treatment at the hospital, I had to drive back home for her passport before driving back to Dickson and on to the hospital.
The next morning we still couldn’t find out with a telephone call to Nashville why her license had been confiscated, so I e-mailed our State Senator, Doug Jackson, who had been helpful before in a case involving a disabled friend who couldn’t secure disability. I included all the information we had, plus our need. Discussing this at the Cardiac Club, friends speculated on reasons. Among those given was that Sheila should give up drinking, she should pay her taxes, she was a secret terrorist, she was a child abuser (I stepped in on that one and said I had eight children who would agree), she should have paid her parking tickets, she didn’t vote for Obama and (my favorite) she had worked for a criminal organization – the Federal Government.
As a follow-up: Senator Jackson returned the e-mail. He had telephoned the director of the bureau and that if we did not hear from that person we should call him on his cell phone that evening. That was unnecessary. Sheila received a telephone call from the director of the licensing shortly after we received the e-mail. Later, she received another call saying she could pick up her license, that they had reviewed her record, found not only no reason for the cancellation, but no record of any offences. The next morning we drove to the license bureau and she received her license. Incidentally, the director said they were continuing to explore her situation, to try to discover how it had happened.
On a better note (I’m bragging), Sheila had entered a painting in a Dickson area art exhibit and received a first place ribbon. She was asked to take the painting to Jackson, TN, for an area contest. We did. After recovering her license, we drove to Jackson to pick up her painting. She had won a second place ribbon. Not bad when you consider it was for all of western Tennessee, which includes Memphis.
Incidentally, it has been some week. Monday we drove to Jackson to turn in Sheila’s painting. That was a 250 mile round trip and came back through a horrendous rainstorm – I spent 40 miles following a truck, which I could barely see at times, because I could not see the road markings. Tuesday we went for the drivers’ license, 40 miles of driving and then Sheila to the hospital in Nashville, another 110 miles of traffic, getting home about six. Then we had a Community Center meeting. Wednesday I mowed more grass and accompanied Sheila to a BaptistChurch that is getting started in the Furnace and has a bunch of nice people attending. Thursday, the Cardiac Club and then mowing grass when I got home with the temperature in the upper 90s. Friday, back to the drivers’ license bureau to pick up Sheila’s license and then home to change cars (Andrew had taken the wrong one on his way to work) and then to Jackson to pick up Sheila’s painting. It is now Saturday morning, and I’m tired. Love to all!