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09/23/2003 Archived Entry: ""YOUR DRIVEWAY IS FULL OF CARS""

"YOUR DRIVEWAY IS FULL OF CARS"

You know how it is when you just set your heart on sleeping in a little late some morning...like maybe until 8? You feel tired when you go to bed, you haven't had enough sleep for a week and you finally see a nice dark tunnel that you can climb into and float away? You know what that is like.

Last night I had such a night. I just needed a long hard sleep instead of the fast shallow ones I've been having. I even encouraged it a bit with one Tylenol PM, which I do just occasionally for this very reason. They kick in where you want them to and let you go dead like a box of rocks. I'm sure they could be habit-forming.

And, sleep was wonderful, as planned, until the phone rang with this cheery voice at the other end rattling on something about our newspaper. You have to realize I have on my sleeper machine head gear with the long gray tube trailing from my head to the C-PAP machine on the night stand. I can't talk and be understood with air rushing into my mouth and the gear pressing down on my upper lip. I do look like Hannibalette Lector in my finest hour.

So, I disengaged myself from all those hoses and straps (which is a lifesaving devise and I wouldn't part with it for the world) and started over with the conversation. She was very nice and obviously had been up for hours. She was mentally alert and a bit of a challenge for me.

I asked again what it was she was she wanted to tell me. She said....again....that the paper delivery person couldn't get in my driveway because of all the cars that were blocking the driveway. I thought that was what she said the first time! Nonsense I think. We've NEVER had so many cars in the driveway you can't get to our house.....well, maybe until this morning. I told her that we live in the wide open spaces and you could drive a semi and trailer to our front door almost anytime of day...laughing of course.

Not being convinced (as you'd expect) and with my curiosity now piqued, I asked her to hold on while I go take a look I traipsed barefoot through the house while carrying on a conversation with this delightful person who was also growing curious about this event. I opened the garage door and stepped into the garage for a full view of this odd spectacle and....well, there isn't a sign of a car anywhere. Two in our garage. None in the driveway....and it's a very long driveway. I explain this to the woman who says she doesn't know what is going on except that "there were cars there earlier". Probably so. I knew she wouldn't call if she weren't sure of what she was saying.

The light started to emerge. She mentioned Todd's name and said the carrier couldn't get to his house either because of some football breakfast they were having and she had to leave his paper by his mail box...same as ours except we don't have a mail box.

More confusion. Todd and Karen just helped with a football something or other over the weekend....with hamburgers so I'm sure we're not talking breakfast at their house this morning. Puzzled, I just thank the lady. It didn't matter, but I was curious about it. Inquiring minds.... Brit found our paper down by the highway next to our neighbor’s mailbox.

Later I asked Karen what was going on. She said the Buchholz's hosted a breakfast for the cross-country team. The driveway probably was full of cars parked any which way. At that hour, it wouldn’t matter. It wouldn't matter any time. But, there wasn't anything going on around Knuckle Drive in the early morning hours. So I never did understand that part of the story. She didn't know where their paper was this morning....maybe by their mailbox.

We have a very good paper delivery person, whose name I don’t even know. But she is good and I appreciate her timely deliveries. And….I thank them for the call even if I must have sounded pretty stupid. I know I did thank her for calling. I hope she doesn't call tomorrow.