Before I spin the spin, here's a bit of background information: The HM is out of town. He's far out of town, in fact. He took a trip to Germany for a horse event and will not return for two more days. Soon after he left, I chopped up the apples he had helped my small actors to pick from my apple tree, and I made some delicious applesauce.
I was sorry not to share the applesauce with anyone, but it was just a small bowlful, and I promptly savored all of it on my own.
It's not a stretch for you to imagine (I'm only supposing) that I had the idea of gathering a few more of the apples that were left hanging on that tree, and chopping, cooking, and bringing into existence another small bowl full of applesauce.
This afternoon the weather was quite lovely! After heat and humidity and scattered fierce showers over the past several days, locally we had white cotton-candy clouds and blue sky and balmy air. I hopped into the car and drove to "the Patch." It's a small plot of land about a half-mile up the road where the HM has a fenced-in area for his horses. It's also where I had fancy ideas (about ten years ago) for a tiny orchard.
This background material may not be at all necessary, but I feel I should let you know that two of the three fruit trees that were planted during the fanciful-fruit-tree-growing phase have succumbed to less-than-ideal supervision of their growth (seems they did not do well without supervision).
The pear tree and the cherry tree now R.I.P.
But the apple tree lives on!
And so, I gathered my small box of apples, just the ones I was able to stretch far enough to harvest. They will be enough to make another bowl full of applesauce.
Then, I was ready to leave. But, ah, what peace and tranquility!
I sat for a while and basked in the beauty.
Eventually, of course, I really was ready to go (you know, go home and make the applesauce). First, my plan (if I have to say I had planned it) was to back up, turn around, and head up the hill. Except that, in the course of my backing, I had a sudden inspiration to stop and record the moment. I stopped the car (alas). I got out of the car and took pictures of my fruitful tree (It was pruned, some years ago, by a friend who is an accomplished fruit-tree-grower. I give Gerry full credit for the fruitfulness!)
I photographed the horses, as well, (I give the HM full credit for their health [though I'm happy to say that I tossed them several apples]).
Now, I was ready, once again, to get home and process apples!
I climbed back into my car and attempted to leave.
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But, Reader Dear, here comes THE TWIST!
i.e. THE SPIN!
I mean that I spun!
I spun and spun!
Then I spun some more.
Backward and forward! Forward and backward!
Alas, deeper and deeper into the mud.
The nearest neighbors live
uphill several hundred yards.
Maybe they could help me, I thought.*
I really did not wish to impose, but,
bless him, the good neighbor man quickly went into action.
He was afraid, however, that he might break my "plastic" car.
He and his wife have bought one of these foreign "plastic" cars (he said the word "plastic " a little derisively) for his wife to drive.
These "plastic" cars are so liable to break!*
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I called AAA.
AAA was not sure, they told me, that they could help me out. I was too far off the road. When they had asked, I had hedged a bit.
"You're along the side of the road?" they had questioned, and I had said, "Well, just a bit off the road." But, then, they had pressed for a number. I deserve, Reader Dear, no medal of honor for my honesty, but I did confess that my car was, indeed, stuck in a meadow several hundred yards (or more) off the road.
They would have to come "assess the job" they told me. They may not be able to do it. They didn't want to end up also stuck!
My neighbors were very kind. Dick and Alice visited with me on their porch, offered me a drink. Dick had taken his chain down the hill* and tried to attach to my car. We chatted about our neighborhood, where Alice grew up, and now where the two of them have lived for sixty-one years.
*My idea was to dump the apples from the box, flatten it, fold it in half, stuff it as deeply as possible under the wheel that had the most serious spin. Dick was doubtful, but he flattened the box, did the placement, tried to hold the cardboard in place. I was relieved that I didn't run over him. The cardboard did absolutely no good.
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Two hours later.
AAA arrived.
As the knight in black boots and reflective clothing extricated my car, I took one final photo of the spot where I'd been spinning.
Then I drove home and tried to put a good spin on the story.
I had a nice, lengthy visit with the neighbors, I thought. I'm much better acquainted with them now. And, too, I learned new things about the history of the neighborhood!
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(I don't recommend a stunt like this, however, by way of gaining social contact with your neighbors, Reader Dear. [Perhaps you could drop off a few of your extra zucchinis. Or, if you've got no garden produce, bake a few cookies to deliver. [It shouldn't take you more than an hour or two]).
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