"A Safe Arrival"

A Safe Arrival Published 12.15.10 Cass Lake Times
By Allan Olson
            It’s been over two months since that fateful journey which officially ended your time of service. The trip started out rough, with a near deer-van collision shortly out of town. If that was the worst of the trip, you would still be in our home, our lives and working hard several days a week keeping our clothing clean.
            As it was, halfway to our destination for a tune-up on this well-worked, loyal and dedicated pair, our van and a deer decided to intersect paths in a very up-close and personal way, but not a very kind one. As for the deer, it didn’t fare too well. The van, while injured, was able to continue on its journey.
            A short ways down the road, the brakes were once again firmly applied when a large Canada Goose was slow on the take-off and nearly caused the second collision of the day.
            The kids haven’t forgotten, and advise caution to all.
            They still reflect on that day from time to time, and they bid visitors goodbye with shouts of “Drive safe, don’t hit any deer, or goose, or bear!” The bear is in reference to a time when mom was driving alone and was two vehicles behind someone who collided with a mama bear and her cub.
            When they talk about that trip, they still remember the “nice flip” that the deer did over the hood of the van. Generally, they no longer ask why I shot the deer. Perhaps they understood my reasoning, but since that time they have also seen several dead deer during the annual hunting season.
            Of course, the deer and the goose weren’t the end of the journey for us. Even that would’ve been mild compared to our next incident further down the road.
            As we continued on our journey to the far northern outpost of International Falls, we were on the homestretch toward our destination when the trip turned from bad to worse.
            The fault of whom, I’m not sure. It could’ve been that the strap wasn’t right, or the road was too bumpy . . . or foot pedal was depressed too far? Whatever the reason, the outcome wasn’t one I would have ever expected.
            As I glanced in my rearview mirror, I saw my clothes dryer taking on a new meaning to “tumble” term typically associated with such devices, one that wasn’t powered by electricity but rather by momentum as it slid off the back of the trailer and bounced repeatedly across the blacktop.
            A few choice words were uttered, and when the kids realized what happened, they, too, were shocked; whether that shock was caused by my choice of words or the fate of the dryer, I’m not sure.
            We made it to our final destination with no further problems, but the  minor mechanical issues with our loyal washer and dryer had become insurmountable enroute, and we found ourselves no longer with our trusted companions, who had taken care of our laundry for at least eight years with little complaint or problem.
            Thankfully and finally, our new set was delivered this past weekend. They are so tall and regal white and clean, and I only hope that they will serve as well as our former friends.
            Our kids were excited as we prepped them for this momentous occasion all week.
            On Saturday morning, when our new appliances were set to arrive at our household, Marcus asked, “Is our new washer and dryer coming today?” “Yes!” I said. The young man then excitedly spread this joyous news all around the house, telling everyone the good news.
            After they were installed, I showed Abigail our new friends. Her eyes were all big and full of excitement. “Our new washer and dryer!” she said excitedly. “Yes,” I told her. She couldn’t contain her excitement, and her little legs jumped up and down.
            I can finally say, “Good-bye laundromat, I hope I don’t have to visit again anytime soon.” Of course, things could have been worse. We could’ve had to wash clothing for a family of six by hand.
            As always, we appreciate your feedback, so feel free to drop us a line at cltimes1@arvig.net. To read previous columns about my crazy kids, visit: http://allan-crazykids.blogspot.com/. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great week.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Hunting Season to Remember

Image
A Hunting Season to Remember By Allan Olson The orange clad army headed into the woods this past weekend in search of the mighty white tail to attempt to fill the freezer with some tasty venison and I was no exception to this party. I too was clad in orange and out on the mighty hunt. Every year there are new stories to tell, old ones to bring up and memories made, some deer seasons for me, after over 20 years of hunting have faded into the background, one year blurring with another, not remembering which year I shot what deer or if I shot a deer. Of course there are a few years  stand out more than others and some are just a blur altogether. However, I find it hard to believe that anything will top this year’s remarkable deer season. This year, I had the honor of bringing Nikolai with me. Not just to sit in the stand, but to actually hunt, he was going to have the ability of harvesting a deer also. Recently he completed his gun safety certification and he wa...
Read more
Image
Thank you for being our friend Frey Olson May 19, 2018 - April 26, 2024 By Allan Olson 4.26.24 Thank you for being our friend, thank you for making us your forever home, if we could’ve saved you, we would’ve. Losing our four legged friends is never easy, in our house they aren’t “just a pet” they are our family. Frey, our nearly six year old English Mastiff came into our lives in August of 2018 and crossed over the rainbow bridge to be with others before him on April 26, 2024. Frey was our gentle giant, he was our protector, our laughter and most importantly I think it’s more than safe to say, he was Alivia’s best friend. Have you ever seen a teenager and a Mastiff sharing a twin size bed - or perhaps more aptly put the teenager getting what’s left of the bed when he’s in it. Or perhaps a giant of a dog, staring at her from the doorway of the bedroom saying, “it’s bedtime,” while she’s playing a game or watching something.  He was taught to react to “who’s here” or the alert of the...
Read more

Thankful for Family

Thankful For Family By Allan Olson published 11-24-10 Cass Lake Times Eat until I can’t eat anymore is the plan for me this Thursday. This is likely the case for many others as well. The food that will be prepared is just one of many things to be thankful for this week. I can honestly say I’m thankful for a lot of things in my life. I’m especially thankful for my beautiful little family. Do I always feel overwhelmed with joy while dealing with the everyday tasks of working and raising four children? I would be lying if I said yes. My children are great kids. They are great at making me smile with their questions and antics. However, they are also great at driving me up a wall. Asking them to help clean a room sometimes and it’s like you put them in a torture chamber by daring to ask for a little help cleaning up the mess they made. Other times they are willing, eager partners ready to help with whatever task you need them to. Of course, there are also those times when ...
Read more