A Week of Chaos

A week of mishaps, equipment failures, and my pets misbehavior had me thinking about Calamity Jane. Many stories abound as to how the frontierswoman, storyteller, and sharp shooter gained her nickname. Did she earn the nickname when she saved a wounded army captain from a Native American uprising? Or was it because she led a difficult and chaotic life? My favorite theory is that she warned men that if they offended her, they would “court calamity.”

The first event of the week was when my trusty, outdated PC died of old age. OK, I’ve known for quite some time that I needed to update my equipment, but my Scarlett O’Hara attitude that “Tomorrow is another day” met a calamitous, abrupt end. On a day when I needed it most, my PC opted out. Both of my grandkids attempted to get the PC to start, but even their expertise didn’t work.

So, I ordered a new PC and while I waited for it to come in, I used Harold’s PC. Since most of our data is on the Synology, I was able to complete several tasks. Each day, I realized that a variety of programs and files were stored on my old PC and life would be more difficult without them.

When my new PC arrived at my door step, I called Murlin Computers to see what could be done. Of course, Jacob was able to get the info off my old PC and set up the new one for me. It helps to know “people” who can help in an electronic crisis.

Feeling all good about everything, I decided to take my mom and aunt to the “boat” (aka/the casino.) As I bee-bopped out of my mom’s house, I face planted on the sidewalk. My sister-in-law Kathy immediately came to see how injured I was. I looked at her and asked, “Did I knock my teeth out?” One of my front teeth was caved inward, my lip was swollen, and I was bleeding from my mouth. Kathy gave me a wet washcloth and called my dentist. After a quick trip to my dentist, she patiently waited for the hours it took to put the tooth back in socket and make an impression for a retainer. So far so good, hopefully the tooth is in to stay, and another catastrophe is averted.

What week would be complete without my dog and kitten having a chase. The kitten is new, and the dog doesn’t want to share yard space with it. So, I took the dog outside and here came the kitten to taunt the dog, of course. The dog started frantically trying to catch the kitten, and the kitten slipped into the tangle of overgrown foliage next to the back door, slipped under the outside heat pump unit, and disappeared somewhere near the retaining wall. The dog was frantically tracking the kitten she couldn’t see, slipped her leash and totally ignored my shrieks to “come back” as I chased her wearing flip flops. I caught up with her as she put her front feet on the retaining wall, hesitating as she apparently thought about jumping the twelve foot drop off on the other side.

My heart was pounding and I was shaking by the time I got the dog back into the house. She knew she was in trouble so she hid under the bed. The kitten finally showed up on the porch looking totally unperturbed by the chase. All animals were fine, me, not so much.

For a chaotic week, nothing reached the level of calamity. So, I guess, Calamity Jane had much greater hurdles to overcome that I did. Maybe the thing Jane and I have in common is sharpshooting. At least that’s what I told Jim when I was doped up during labor.  “Did you know that I used to be a sharp shooter in the circus?” I asked.

Although I later denied that I had ever been a sharp shooter in a circus, Jim said they had given me sodium pentothal so it must have been the truth.

 Well, after all, we all have our secrets.

 

Copyright © November by L. S. Fisher

http://earlyonset.blogspot.com

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