A BUSY FRIDAY

'93 Ford Ranger

Mike and I were up early Friday morning in order to be at the park in Orofino by 7:30. That meant leaving the town house before 6:30, and as I’ve said before, I like to get up early, but I don’t like to get up and hurry. I was mostly ready Thursday afternoon, but we still left some things behind – like cold drinks and Mike’s phone. (We did have water.)

A northerly view over unharvested grain fields

And just why did we have to be at the Orofino park at 7:30 a.m.? Well, one of our sons asked Mike to help him find an old Ford Ranger. Small pick-ups have become scarce, and in fact, Mike was about to give up the search and look for some other type of vehicle when he noticed one on Craigslist. So, he rode his motorcycle to Orofino on Tuesday to meet the owner, was pleased with the pick-up and the deal, and bought it with the agreement that we would pick it up early Friday morning so that the owner (just a kid) could make it to work on time.

Everything went smoothly according to plan, BUT – we failed to remember that in Idaho the license plates stay with the owner. So, the kid relinquished the pick-up to Mike, taking his plates with him. Our plan was to leave the pick-up in the park, go on to the farm (10 miles out of Orofino), and retrieve the pick-up in the afternoon, but we agreed it wasn’t a good idea to leave a vehicle without tags in the park.

 

“Who do you know in Orofino?” asked Mike.

“No one,” I said. It’s a sad fact that time changes all things – even me, even the little town in which I grew up.

In the end, we came to a happy solution and left the pick-up by permission at a parking lot near a local business. Of course, I obsessed over the drive back to town for the rest of the day, but Mike said he thought we’d be all right, and after all, he was going to drive it. (And late in the afternoon, Mike and the little pick-up did make it all the way to the town house.)

Meanwhile, Mike and I were at the farm by 8:00. I set about taking care of the raised beds while Mike read the paper. (The grass didn’t need mowing.) About 9:30, the plumber arrived as pre-arranged. He repaired the leak that damaged our home and also installed the new shower shell in the master bath. And when he left, the house again had water. It felt like real progress, even though we have a long way to go. 

We ate a picnic lunch in the shade of the maple tree

Still mid-morning, brother Chuck and Joanne arrived. We sat on yard chairs under the maple tree and had a good visit. The day was not as hot as earlier this week, and the breeze was cool. Our picnic lunch was problematic, though, because of the yellowjackets. I’m just grateful no one got stung, with the possible exception of Bess. Joanne took her plate and ate in their car.

We were back in town before 5:00. Mike spent the next couple of hours washing a motorcycle and two cars. KW