When Life Hands You a Guardrail…

You get a new motorcycle, right? No? You mean life hasn’t handed you a guardrail lately? Or ever? Yeah, me either, at least not literally. I guess that’s a good thing!

motorcycleBut a few weeks ago, that’s exactly what happened to my husband. He was riding his motorcycle to Washington D.C., a trip he makes every year around this time. He still isn’t sure, but figures he must’ve hit an oil slick or something, because he went around a curve just outside of southeast Ohio, and the bike’s back wheel slid out from under him. He jumped off just in time to avoid being pinned against the guardrail.

It was just one of those freaky things that could happen to anyone. My husband is a very skilled and experienced rider–he even did if for a job for a while (funeral escort), in all kinds of weather and conditions, so he knows what he’s doing. His ankle was twisted up quite a bit and he suspected he had some cracked ribs, but he and his friend managed to extricate the bike from the guardrail, tie up the broken trim and lights, and…

He rode the rest of the way to Washington. And three days later, rode back home, over 700 miles. When he (finally) went to the doctor, they x-rayed him and said he had three broken ribs.

Despite the bike being perfectly rideable, the insurance company totaled it, so that day, he ordered a new one. A 2014 Ultra Limited–exactly what he wanted–had just come off the truck at his dealership. He picked it up last week.

Most people thought he was nuts. (Okay, this is not unusual.) Mostly, for riding all the way to DC and back with broken ribs. A few were surprised he bought a new motorcycle again so fast. But no one who knows him well is.

The bike is Harley’s top of the line model, and is of course very nice–cushy, smooth ride, and has everything you could want on it. We’ve been enjoying it a lot already!

Our daughter got a job. This might not sound like a big deal, but…she’s 18. And has no work experience except for a couple of months working in the dining hall on campus this past school year. So, the job market being what it is for that age group, she’s put in at least three dozen applications since February for a summer job. Not one nibble. Not even from the restaurant in our neighborhood, the owner of which is friends with my husband. He liked that she had experience as a cashier (one of her dining hall duties), but didn’t have any openings.

Until last week. He called her on Sunday and asked her to start the next day.

We got another new storm door–this time for the front door. And–wait for it–yes, my husband installed it! After messing with the back door all weekend (it seemed), he decided the front storm door needed replacing too, and did just that. This time, he measured correctly, and it only took about three hours. It looks really nice, too!

crab boilOn Saturday, my husband and some friends threw a spontaneous crab-boil. We’d never done this before, but it turned out to be quite easy (especially for me, since he did it all 😀 ) and lots of fun! DH looked it up and found this recipe, bought the shrimp, potatoes, and sausage, and friends contributed crab legs, corn, and beer. It was delicious! Our daughter, who loves to cook and bake, made this amazing red wine velvet cake. Yes, you can taste the wine–there’s 2-1/2 cups of wine in it! (She has the cookbook linked from the blog, which is for a three-layer cake). The wine enhances the chocolate! The Mascarpone icing was awesome, too– the perfect topper to a perfect meal and a great time with friends. Best of all, there was very little cleanup.

What I read this week: Still working on the fantasy novel (it’s a long one), and still laughing at last week’s comment by Coleen Patrick linking “fantasy novel” with a nonfiction book for women and “the men who want to know what’s going on with (women).” LOL!

ROW80Logo175As for my ROW80 update, well, I missed Sunday, so that’s why I’m posting today. I did meet my writing goal, but spent the day at my brother’s with family to celebrate Father’s Day and my mom’s birthday, which is tomorrow (Wednesday)! Happy birthday, Mom!

Oh, for this coming week, going to shoot for 2,000 words, plus homework for the online  writing workshop I’m currently taking.

And for this week’s puppy picture, Isis in her latest napping spot:

Napping in shower

That’s a 36″ shower stall, so that gives you an idea of how big she’s getting. She went to the vet for a checkup this week, and already weighs over 30 pounds!

So, can you believe my husband took on installing another storm door? Ever had a crab boil, or red wine velvet cake? What do you do when life hands you a guardrail? Please share–I’d love to hear from you!

Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.

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