No Harrowing Adventure

I am, as the Old Biddies said back in the day, stove up this morning. 

Third Daughter, who lives away from home, has mono.  She works as a barista on weekends and someone's stirrer, cup, or sneeze passed the virus to her.  Just after I was done working last night, we phone chatted. O how miserable she looked.  I just wanted to snatch her home!  That's not quite doable since Youngest Daughter has compromised immune system and we don't have an isolation chamber.  Why, o why, didn't I look for that in a dwelling when we were stumbling from run down house to out of our price range grandeur and everything in between?!  So, listening to her tell us what she didn't have, and how she can't go out in public without a mask and gloves and scare people, not to mention the energy she doesn't have, and the work she'll be missing so she's afraid to spend any money [told mostly in sign language because her throat is so raw] ... we decided to gather an apocalyptic care package and take it to her. 

Eldest Son, Youngest Daughter, and I did a mini road trip after he got off work at 10 p.m. 

I'm the one in the middle, can't you tell?

No harrowing adventure, thankGawd, just the usual construction and a few minutes of rain on the way back.  Hardest part was battling with the self-check out at the grocery over a loaf of bread and a bag of carrots.  O and getting lost trying to find the Parkway she lives off of.  ThankGawd for google driving thaing.  Youngest daughter enabled location and navigated us back in the right direction. 

• Here's a tip when driving in Bama:  when you hit the clay road and overgrown golden rod, you've gone too far, turn back before it's too late!  
• A warning for driving anywhere:  Some cities do not light their street signs, use reflective paint, OR place them so they're visible until you are passing them. These cities also like to reuse the main road's name with court, place, street, avenue and court place - that was a new one, I was impressed. 
• A tip for driving anywhere:  landmarks do not look the same in the dark of the night as they do in the light of day.  
• Final tip: If you have to take a road trip, Monday Nights are low traffic, high police and sheriff presence, and relatively not bad for such endeavors.  Just watch your speed and you'll do fine.
• P.S. when lost, do not expect to find hide nor hair of police, sheriff or state trooper, it's a cosmic thaing, trust me.

Arriving late at night after our scenic tour of parts mostly unknown, I backed the vehicle to her tiny deck and we proceeded to stealthily put bag after bag, uh after bag, and a few more bags right outside her sliding door.  We were trying not to wake her or anyone else in the apartment complex. Of course we failed, and there she was, my poor child, isolated in the Big City wearing her mask, comfy slug clothes and barely able to talk.  But, let it be noted:  her hair was doing Great, all shiny and fluffy.  No one with great hair is truly down, just a bit under the weather, right?

We kept the deck rail and bags between us; no touching [ARG!], no hugging [OMG!], no closer than 4 feet in the open air [DYING].  I did not throw a bag over her, bungy her to the roof rack, and abduct her.  My restraint was amazing, just mentioning.  You can praise me.  I certainly deserve it!  Eldest son was proud of me.  Youngest Daughter said I probably earned a bucket of Good Mother Chips.  It didn't help me feel less like I was abandoning her on the frozen tundra with the wolves howling too close for any comfort. 

So, Third Daughter was stocked with pain reliever, throat comfort, assorted first aid / treatment stuff and bleach wipes so she doesn't have mutating virus hit her with secondary ick.  Eucalyptus bath salts for soaking away aches and pains, and enough food to hold on in the case of an alien invasion from outer space.  I do know how to stock a pantry for survival, ease of preparation, and the long term nutritional / caloric requirements.  Burt Gummer would be impressed by what an Old Biddy can do without access to MREs or Cactus and Insects.

[that's a Tremors reference in case you haven't had enough coffee yet]

Our trip home was uneventful, aside from the two minutes of rain smearing the windshield.  Rolled in about ten to one a.m., scrubbed face, brushed teeth, looked at messages and fell in the bed!  The cherry on the cake of Monday was Second Son receiving a note from the IRS regarding the need to prove he is who he says he is.  Not sure what flagged his return, but we are off to tax man this morning to defend his honor and with enough evidence that he is actually who he says he is and therefore entitled - yes entitled - to his little refund check. 

Just for the record, I am not having a great hair day and though the road goes on forever, I prefer not to take any more trips beyond the cat food run for a while!