At 12:30am Saturday the phone woke me up. Never a good thing. It was Dave and he had just rolled his truck and was in the culvert. I can't believe he can have this many close calls and not be dead. While he was describing what happened (he fell asleep at the wheel) another car came up and it turned out to be Eugene, who worked for us when we first moved in. He didn't tell me this, and hung up the call.
So I got up and went out to pick him up. He was not where he said he was, no surprise, and I went all the way down 399 to 111 and turned around and then found his truck, without him, NOT in the culvert but wedged in the trees in some forestry area, upright, facing the opposite direction he had been going.
I guessed that he had been taken home and when I returned every stinkin' light in the house, garage and porch was on, like it was a big party. He was showing Eugene what we have done with the place. Geesh.
Dave had a big gash on the top of his head, but no other injuries. Thank heaven we live in such a rural area that no one else was involved in this stupidity.
What he was doing was going to town in the middle of the night for a milk shake. I went to sleep thinking he was working in the garage.
Eugene and his wife left with my thanks and then I took Dave up to bed. But on the way he discovered he didn't have his wallet, so we got back in my car to get it, since his credit cards etc were in it. Back to the scene of the accident, and amazingly the wallet was found. The back window of the truck was open and the wallet was in the back bed of the truck. Imagine this: He falls asleep, crosses over the wrong side of the road, hits the ditch, rolls the truck onto its top, and rolls again the other direction landing upright. In this spin the wallet flies out of his back pocket and lands in the truck bed. Some trick. Maybe the circus will want him.
Dave was alternately 'never gonna drive again' and "I gotta get this truck back home". At 6 am after a restless night he headed off to see if the truck was still there and to get it towed.
After the dust settled we had our little talk. "What's gonna change?" I asked.
"I'm not gonna drive anymore, and I'll sell my car" he promised, again.
The truck is totaled, but he has a scheme in mind to sell the parts. O boy.
My goodness! I am glad he is okay. Does Dave suffer from narcolepsy?
ReplyDeleteWhat a way to start the day or was it end the night! My one comment is you can't live with men and it would be hard to live without them. I am glad your husband is ok and I hope he will "listen" to you from now on but I doubt it.
ReplyDeletethank God he's alright. I'm thinking of you both and hope the wound heals fast.
ReplyDeleteDeep breath....
So thankful Dave is okay after a long night! So glad he has the best guardian angel!
ReplyDeleteMost important: so glad all is OK! Second: Schemes. hooooo boy! Good luck Melody! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'd be alternately throwing things at him for scaring me so bad and hugging the stuffing out of him because he was okay.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he could make a blender out of some of those truck parts and learn to make milk shakes at home.
I'm glad all is well....at least relatively.
That goodness he's ok!
ReplyDeleteLooking at that truck, which is obviously totaled; but with all the windows intact - you got to wonder if the Almighty is trying to get a message to someone.
ReplyDeleteWhat if he had a buddy that would come on a certain morning to take him where ever he wanted to go, he could still have that independence without it costing a truck now and then.
Yep, I know that is what wives are for, but you would be the other 6 1/2 days.
By selling the parts, it is going to be long process so the talk of a new vehicle hopefully won't start for a longgggg time.
St. Fibermania hang in there!!
oh! Melody! Thankfully Dave is okay! As soon as I saw that picture I thought -"I can't believe he can have this many close calls and not be dead."- and then you verbalized it! Wishing you an uneventful day!
ReplyDeleteHoly Smoly Mel!
ReplyDeleteMy heart sank as I read the beginning of this blog - you've been there so often before. Good on you for loving him through thick and thin . . . It's some roller-coaster ride isn't it!
Thank God he was OK, and good luck working through this one.
Thinking of you,
I'm so glad he's OK...physically. I'm not saying this to be critical or mean-spirited but as a friend that's followed your blog for a long time, so I hope you will take this with the love and concern for both of you that it's meant to be....
ReplyDeletehow many close calls does he have to have before you take action and take those keys away from him....permanently??? One of these days he's not going to be so lucky. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life wishing you'd done something??
I wondered when he bought the truck what was going to happen. He needs to teach all of us how to have 9 lives like he seems to have. Glad he wasn't hurt badly and hope he buys a blender and some ice cream.
ReplyDeleteMine is always doing dumb stuff, too. You have to get their attention 'cause they don't listen. I just ask if his insurance is paid up to date. That gets him thinking. He doesn't want me to be a merry widow. Glad you are not one... you could have been.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Oh Melody! I am so glad he's ok and I send you strength for the negotiations ahead!
ReplyDeleteSending some hugs. I do hope you can get him to give up driving. Enough is enough. That being said, thank God he survived one more.
ReplyDeleteNo words, just glad he is home safe and has you as his best friend.
ReplyDeleteSending loving thoughts your way, Mel. Lots and lots of them.
ReplyDeleteAs I read this my heart was pounding. I feel so bad for both of you having to deal with all this in completely different ways.
ReplyDeleteWhat a story, you could write a book. Glad he's okay!
ReplyDeleteOh my, thank goodness he is OK. I'm sure you would love to turn him over your knee and give him a long paddling.
ReplyDeleteI feel for both of you, him for the continuing loss of his independence and for you and your frustration and fears for his safety.
In '08 I suffered a knee injury, right leg of course, and couldn't drive for 6 months. This year I was in Tractor Supply with friends and tripped and fell and where did I land, right knee of course. That was two months of not being able to drive. My favorite time to go to Walmart is 4 in the morning not when I have to call friends and see who is available when and then going when the place is jam packed. Milk Shake at midnight sounds really good.
My dearest friend, for 8 years was dealing with what you are dealing with as her mother had Parkinson's also. She passed away 2 years ago and she was feisty and defiant to the very end.
Her accidents were becoming more and more frequent and she was on her third or fourth round of having nine lives. Her family would sell her car and it wouldn't be long before she would have a new one. She would even hide it down the street or around the block or at a friends driveway. My friend got a doctors declaration and petitioned the State of Florida to revoke her DL. We are talking the equivalent of a full fledged meltdown to the max of a screaming child going through the terrible twos to the 10th power.
If you want to avoid World War Three in your house, if it is not that long before they are scheduled for renewal, you can give the info to the state and have their file flagged for extra screening. That way you suffer less.
Now stopping their driving privileges doesn't always work and if Dave is anything like my friends mother you will still have a few setbacks.
Dee, my friends mother, was this little petite girlie lady and she had a life long love for the big boat style cars. She had this one dealership that she had several boats from so she calls them up and tells them she is looking for a new car and can someone come pick her up. The dealership was more that happy extend this pick up service to a good long time customer. A couple hours later she drives the car away, they never asked for her DL, and two blocks later she hit a light pole. She had some scratches and bruises from the air bag going off. Money down the drain on a cash deal and over 4,000 to pay for the concrete traffic light pole.
My heart goes out to both of you, its not easy for either of you.
Thankgoodness he is ok. Hope he listens to the good advice about giving up driving. It might take his independence away but will save his life, sooner or later his luck is going to run out by the law of averages, wishing you all the best, keep up with the gorgeous quilts and photos of them and your beautiful property and of course your blogs which I read every day.
ReplyDeleteGood lord - the adventures Dave has must keep you at your target heart rate on an ongoing basis!
ReplyDeleteI hope he keeps his promise this time - it'll be better for both of your health(s).
Wishing you patience and more luck since he seems to be using it up fast!
Kit
Seeing strength, love and acceptance carrying you through...
ReplyDeletemy prayers continue to be with you...
ReplyDeleteIt is a good thing you can sew and create to maintain your sanity. I think you might need to sew a lot of stuff today. It's a tough spot you are in- needing to protect him and yet respect and maintain his independence. Sew something, and maybe the appropriate response will come to you. Huggggggggggggs and best wishes.
ReplyDeleteWow....quite an experience.
ReplyDeleteDave must have the most wonderful guardian angel! He obviously has a wife who loves him deeply.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you both during the upcoming journey of new challenges and life changes.
Try and remember to breathe deeply...
Oh, Mel! The first thing I thought was "Wait...he was driving??"
ReplyDeleteGlad Dave's okay, of course! What nobody's mentioned is, he might have crossed the center line and hit another car. Not okay. That it was a back road with little traffic isn't really the point, is it?
Sad, but I agree: no matter how much fragile male ego gets bruised in the process, it's about time to hand over the keys, permanently. For everyone's sake.
I've lived "away" from town in one place or another for most of my 60+ years and cherished it. The last time this happened to you folks, it made me think that it might be time for my husband and I to consider living closer to town and alternate transportation. Wish I'd pushed the idea before the housing market declined.
ReplyDeletei hope this finds you recharging your spirit with some of those vibrant colors of yours. Hugs and healing thoughts to you and Dave.
OY Mel! So lucky that Dave is OK. What a difficult journey for you both. Hoping you can resolve this in a way that will work for Dave and for you. Scary and scarier.
ReplyDelete1) I'm glad Dave is okay.
ReplyDelete2) I can't imagine the difficulty of having to give up driving. Not yet, anyway.
3) I can't imagine your state of mind in situations like these!
Good luck, Melody - I hope the lesson takes this time...
You can donate it to the kidney foundation. They even come pick them up and you can take it off your taxes as a donation.
ReplyDeleteMy DH fell off his mountain bike in the woods. Got that call. "Ah Honey, I don't want to worry you, but I've had a crash and don't know where I am." "Can you get back to the truck?" "Did I bring the truck?" Ooooh. Had to go find him with the neighbors. Concussion... and he's still riding.
You just take it one day at a time. Hope things work out with the driving. Has he ever been to a sleep clinic to be tested? They stress that you can fall asleep at the wheel very easily if you don't sleep well... Just a thought.
God bless you honey, love your work, and i have been there done that with what you are going through.
ReplyDeleteThese accidents must be so scary for you. It must be hard to give up driving though. I'm amazed at how comic you make it seem.
ReplyDeleteI had to have the help of a hospice nurse to convince my husband, about 18 months ago, that it wasn't safe for him or others on the road for him to be driving anymore. I think it was the idea that he may hurt someone else that did it. Glad your husband is okay. Good luck with the whole thing.
ReplyDeletepeople have strange ways of demanding attention.....so sorry for you as you seem to really enjoy and make the best of the life you have been given......don't let him drag you down.......
ReplyDeleteBless you Melody for loving a man such as this and bless Dave for having to deal with his limitations. There are angles watching over you both! My you be granted peace of mind in his safekeeping and may he be granted patience for dealing with his challenges.
ReplyDeleteIt's time for Dave to reach out to friends and community resources for a "ride" here and there. Maybe he can't get a shake in the middle of the night, but at least you both will have each other for a good while longer. You both are in my thoughts and prayers.
With all these comments, I'm sure you know that lots of people really care about you and Dave. I can't begin to imagine how complicated the situation is. Selfishly, it makes me wish Dave was still blogging. I would have loved to hear his version of the story!
ReplyDelete