Memories from Idaho - Written 5/18/10

In writer's group, we worked from paintings. This one the painting of a woman and child, walking together. So it's part truth/part fiction.


As my daughter and I walked down the sidewalk away from the house, I wished again that my husband hadn't taken our only vehicle for his trip out of town. It snowed last night, and the temperature was now dropping quickly. We were barely within walking distance to the school, where she was in kindergarten and I worked in the office. But the colder it got, the harder it would be for us to make it the whole distance. I'd wrapped her up all nice and warm, and bundled myself up as well. But the 1-1/2 miles to the school would be a difficult walk for us both.

By the time we reached the school, we were both just about frozen. I took her to her class, and her teacher helped her out of her coat, scarf, and mittens. She took her in and sat her by the warm stove to thaw.

I went on to my office and unbundled myself, while at the same time turning on the small radio on the shelf next to my desk. The announcer's voice came through: "The time is now 8:05, and the temperature has already dropped to 10 degrees. There is a winter storm warning for today and tomorrow."

"Nuts!" I fretted. "He always picks the worst times to go out of town! He's notorious for leaving us in the worst possible weather. Now, we'll have to get a ride home this afternoon. And maybe I can get some help to keep the pipes from freezing. This always happens when he's gone. How frustrating!"