Not Leaving Home

I’m not fond of traveling. I spent enough time away from home in my construction life, to give me my fill of traveling for the rest of my life. I’ve been to Europe and Mexico (not for work). I’ve seen most of the states. The truth is I not a big fan of hotels

Seems things go wrong at home when I check into a hotel. Elaine and I went to a yarn show in southwest Colorado a few years ago. We left Ivy at home to take care of the house and the animals. A llama got bit by a rattlesnake. I was working outside of Tucson, 10 hours after arriving in Tucson, Elaine calls to inform me the llamas had been attacked by pit bulls. While working in Phoenix during the winter, enjoying 66 degrees, Elaine and Ivy were plowing 18″ of snow out of our driveway. They got the tractor stuck in the deep snow.

I don’t know if I could have prevented any of those events, but I wish I could have been there to help.

One time while I was working in Tucson (a long time ago) a couple workmates and I went into Mexico for the weekend. We had to sneak back into the United States. Oh yeah, that one was my fault. Let’s not talk about that one. The point is, when I leave home, something bad is going to happen.

I have mentioned before, Elaine is on the Board of Directors of the Taos Wool Festival. She needed to attend a meeting in Taos this weekend. Elaine asked me if wanted to go along. Considering my families historical events, I reluctantly accepted.

A car trip from our home to Taos one will encounter arguably some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, and some not so spectacular. Ivy and Girl Twin stayed behind to run the store; feed the animals and have a girl’s night. Boy Twin was sleeping over at a friend’s.

Sounds pretty simple, at 6:00PM last night Ivy called me from the store, telling me she had closed the store and was on her way home. She told me she would call me when she arrived home. Elaine and I went to dinner. At 9:30PM I called Ivy at home. No answer. 10:00PM, no answer. Elaine called home every 15 minutes until 1:00AM. No answer.

Elaine: What do we do? Me: Check out Facebook or the knitting websites. We can send her a message on one of them. Elaine: She is not sending any messages back. Maybe she has the phone of the hook, maybe Girl Twin got eaten by a mountain lion, maybe something happened to the dogs, maybe she never made it home……….. Me: I thought about all those hours ago. Someone would call us if that was the case. (I’m the experienced hotel worrier) Let’s try to go to bed.

Not very much sleep was to be had. I heard Elaine stumbling around the dark hotel room about 3:30AM. We woke up at 7:00AM. Elaine phoned home, no answer.

Me: We will know something is wrong if she doesn’t open the store. Elaine: I’m going to call a neighbor.

Elaine tries one more to call home at 8:00AM.

Ivy: Hello Elaine: Where have you been? Ivy: Home Elaine: Do you know how many times we’ve called? Ivy: I think the phone was off the hook.

Elaine hands the phone to me.

Me: You were going call us when you got home! Ivy: It looks like I’ve ruined your trip, why don’t you stay another night? Me: Yeah, right!

Our crazy lives!

Monner