Everyday Life

Except that I am.

Or maybe I’m not.

I haven’t been online much lately…

not for any reason in particular, just for lots of reasons in general.

Reason 1?

My little brother came home from boot camp for his ten day leave starting last weekend–meaning that I spent the weekend in Lincoln with family.

Reason 2:

I am exhausted. Whether my all-too-active brain lets me sleep or not, I definitely haven’t had a lot of extra energy for anything extra.

And apparently the internet counts as extra.

Actually, pretty much anything but falling asleep on a book counts as extra.

I hope I catch another wind soon, ’cause this gets old really quickly.

Reason 3:

I have nothing to write about. (That is, nothing coherent to write about.)

Thanks to reason 1, I have had fun events occurring in my life. But thanks to reason 2, I have not even thought about how those fun events might turn into fun stories.

Thanks to reason 2, I have been reading. But thanks to reason 2, I have not felt like reviewing.

So, there you have it.

That’s why I’m not here.

“Rebekah, do you know my daughter?” she asked.

I racked my brain trying to think if I’d been introduced to this coworker’s daughter. I don’t remember having been.

She continued, “Because she was asking me if I knew you.”

Oh, I thought, so I wouldn’t have met her through her mother.

Then how?

“S– is her mother-in-law.”

My eyes widened in surprise and recognition–and I nodded my head, “Okay, uh-huh.”

I hadn’t met her–but I recognize the connections now, at least.

Daughter-in-law to one of the gals in my Sunday-school-hour “flock” at church, sister-in-law to one of the girls I’m teaching to sew. Okay.

“I guess S–‘s been telling her what a great girl you are–so she’s trying to figure out who to set you up with.”

Wow, I thought, talk about assistance from unexpected quarters.

But I inclined my head and indicated that her daughter’s assistance was not unwelcome.

My coworker offered to screen potential set-ups.

With a laugh, I agreed that this also was welcome.

Wanna hear something gross?

I just took my trash to the dump today…

for the first time all year.

Disgusting, isn’t it?

But here’s the thing.

Even though we’d been collecting trash for three months, we only had three trash cans not quite full. (I probably coulda gotten it into two if I’d tried.)

So the ten dollar minimum fee at the dump comes out to about $3.33 per trash can.

Still a little steep.

Problem is, now that it’s no longer freezing outside, I really can’t wait that long to take trash to the dump. It’ll start to smell long before then.

But ten dollars for the measly bag of trash we collect in a week?

I haven’t priced the trash services around town, but I sorta feel like almost anything would feel like overkill for the wee bit of trash we collect.

So what do you think? How would you deal if you had too little trash to make taking-it-to-the-dump/hiring-a-service-to-take-it-to-the-dump-for-you worthwhile?

He was talking with his friends after the Macarena, discussing what they would do next.

I watched with bemusement, then with surprise, as he lifted his hand, pointed at me, and declared “I want to dance with HER.”

And dance with me he did.

Except for the snowball dance, where we were each forced to seek new partners, he danced with me all night, until he reluctantly said goodbye…

…when his parents said it was time to go home.

He was four.

That’s what I have to say today.

Okay, not quite.

I actually have plenty to say. I just haven’t the time or the energy to say it.

So I’ll be leaving you with “Nothing, Nothing, Absolutely Nothing” instead.

Don’t tell me you don’t know “Ah Lord God” from the 70s?

Well, you might just have to be enlightened.

Ah Lord God,
Thou hast made the heavens and the earth
by Thy great power
Ah Lord God
Thou hast made the heavens and the earth
by Thine outstretched arm

Nothing is too difficult for Thee
Nothing is too difficult for Thee
Oh great and mighty God
Great in counsel and mighty in deed
Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing
Is too difficult for Thee

It’s a good reminder when many things are too difficult for ME.

The weather forecast was predicting half a foot or so of snow in Grand Island yesterday afternoon–and when I called one of my Grand Island facilities at 7 yesterday morning, the dietary manager said she had little for me to look at.

Not relishing the thought of getting stuck in Grand Island overnight, I elected to stay in Columbus and run some errands–and then work from home on some menu stuff (that I have a hard time doing in the office where there are interruptions galore.)

My first order of business was errands.

Errands. I don’t really relish them, but these ones were somewhat important.

I turn old next week, so it was time for me to get a new driver’s license–and probably time for my license to reflect my new dwelling place as well.

Furthermore, just over two years ago, my car (Jack) was rear-ended and I had to buy a new car (Luci). Which means that registration is due this month. And it’s probably about time that my license plates reflect my new dwelling place.

What’s more, Nebraska generally holds primary elections in May–and though I’m not quite sure whether we’ll have any of note this year, I make it a point to vote in every election. Except that my voter’s registration says that I live in Lincoln, which is definitely no longer the case. It’s time my voter’s registration reflected my new dwelling place.

Thankfully, all three errands could be completed in one place–the Platte County Courthouse.

I have to say that I was a bit leery of becoming an official “10 County” resident (mostly because 10 County drivers lack the get-up-and-go of Lincoln drivers)–but my experience at the Platte County Courthouse largely assuaged my fears.

It was there that I discovered that I love Columbus, NE.

Why do I love Columbus, NE?

First, because when I went to get my car registration taken care of, the lady at the desk assumed that I had specialty plates since my current license plates started with “RFS” instead of the ubiquitous number designating the county (Platte County is “10 County”, as mentioned above.)

I had to explain that no, those plates weren’t specialty plates. They were LANCASTER COUNTY plates. (The three largest counties in Nebraska–Douglas, Lancaster, and Sarpy–have enough people that they need the extra leeway allowed by the 26 letters over the 10 numbers, so they use a three letter/three number combo instead of the “County number-dash-four digit code” that the rest of the counties use.)

Then it came time for ME to get an education on getting a license plate in Platte County.

The gal at the desk asked me what I’d like as my leading letter.

“Leading letter?” I was thoroughly confused.

“How about ‘R’ for your first name, since we don’t have ‘M’?”

“Okay,” I responded, mystified.

It was then that she handed me a looseleaf notebook turned to a page with two columns of handwritten numbers.

R000
R001
R002
R003

“Pick your plates. If a number’s crossed out or has a name beside it, it’s not available.”

And so, while she entered my information into her computer system, I picked out my license plate number and wrote my name beside it.

10-R717

The lady checked what I’d written and marched off to get me my plates.

10-R717

Yes, I love Columbus, NE.

The rest of my errands weren’t quite as interesting (or unexpected)…except for my moment at the DMV where the attendant snapped a picture of me grinning my head off.

They don’t let you smile for Driver’s License photos in Lincoln. In Lincoln, they insist that you look sober.

I have to say…I love Columbus, NE.