Captain's Log # 40 - "There's a warrant out for my arrest!"

This week a 90-year old woman came in the office on her little scooter, frail, dejected and rather grey, like a wilted flower. She had been getting calls from Social Security threatening to cut her off. Her case manager listened to her with sympathy (and nothing else.) I was thinking “Scam!” the case manager in the cubicle behind her, said sotto voce “Scam.” Finally, the really loud, and very friendly, woman in our office went up to her and told her she was being preyed on by scammers, and not to give any information to anyone over the phone. “Remember when Henry passed, Social Security did everything by mail.” She left, still wilted and frail. The next day she wheeled in, very bright, full, smiling and loudly announced she’d gotten a call from someone who said there was a warrant out for her arrest! She was tickled pink that someone thought she’d done something to be arrested for. She left us quietly chortling and proud. (and wary of scammers)

You may know that our electric company shut off power to 800,000 Northern California customers; our home, too, but not at my workplace. It was no hardship for us although traffic lights were black which turned a lot of intersections into 4-way stops. Most people were polite enough to stop and wait their turn. Those who were not, met each other in the middle of the intersections and had a different kind of day after that. Usually I drive around the foot of the Mayacamas mountain range, by the Bay, but I’m fortunate enough to live close to a road that goes straight over the mountains and into Napa Valley, where I work, thus avoiding the black traffic lights and hours of backed-up traffic. This road has NO shoulders, several steep, hairpin turns and only the faintest indication of a center, just a scattering of white dots of paint. A center line generally is unnecessary because people disregard them anyway. For me it’s a white-knuckle, rear-end-clenching ordeal. Driving like the little old lady I am, I pull over, frequently, and wave people to pass me. At 25 MPH, maybe, I have time to think about the people who made this ‘road.’ In the beginning it was probably some deer tracks, then probably an Indian path, then someone, thinking they were smart, traipsed over the mountain, probably walking their horse. They must have had a really good reason to get to the other side. At some point it was widened for a wagon. How many teams of horse did it take? Mules? Oxen? It’s a 35-minute commute so there’s plenty of time to ponder these questions. I was fortunate not to meet any idiots coming the other way on the narrow, blind, hairpin turns. They’ve repaved part of the road on the Sonoma Valley side, black as pitch, smooth as glass which the sun reflects off of and into your eyes as you’re coming down the narrow, steep stretch – with no guard rails, just like a rollercoaster! I hate rollercoasters. It’s the kind of road you want to stop at the bottom and kiss the ground that you’re still alive. I had complained that people drive like they’re piloting bumper cars on the freeway going up Napa Valley, it has an unsafe posted speed limit of 60 MPH through the town of Napa, and people zip in and out of traffic like they’re playing video games. Makes me happy – not - but these two days driving over this treacherous but beautiful mountain pass has made me a better driver; and I very much appreciate working traffic lights in a way I didn’t before!

The first day, in case we didn’t have power at work, I brought my Backgammon, Scrabble, cards and Hoyle’s Rules of Games hoping to play with the residents in the dining room. Alas, we had power. Maybe next year.

Please let me know what you’re up to.

Many blessings,

Karla/k.j./mom