A Different Life II

[Foiled Again]

Maggie - re the accident. A truck driver with good intentions and Very Poor Situational Awareness created the potential for that accident.

Why would anyone yield their legitimate right of way leading you directly into an oncoming semi? I too cannot believe it would be intentional, yet quite often I have been faced with a left turn on a 4 lane road where the nice person in the near lane stops and waves me on... yet where I can see drivers coming at full speed on the right lane, or even pulling to the right to pass the nice guy via the outside lane.

I feel like I am being rude if don't accept a spontaneously offered kindness.... but DUH. When I pull into a large church parking lot to allow a string of cars behind me to go faster I try to consider every driver's safety - especially the 8th driver in the string who has been pulling left of center and gunning his engine for 2 miles on a curvy 2 lane with double yellow lines and water filled ditches on both sides. That person is not just dyin' to get past, he is willing to kill anyone who is even in the neighborhood.

You might have been a bit tired, and fatigue is a serious problem. Your blood sugar might not have been at optimal levels (which can really affect a person's reaction speed even if for a non-diabetic), and you needed to turn into a lane with oncoming traffic. I waited 5 or 6 minutes to do just that same thing yesterday towing Eddie... much to the disgust of the driver behind me. He might have understood after he realized how long the truck and trailer were... and that my acceleration speed was pretty sedate.

I thought of YOU and until I was SURE both ways were clear I was WAITING. I knew the intersection and surrounding roads.
I would have turned Right and sought out a safer less congested place to turn around but there wasn't one for many miles. Hindsight is 20-20. Foresight is priceless.

And assuming that everyone else on the road is distracted, texting, drunk or just suffering from chronic cranial-rectal inversion is not cynical... it is just self respect.

Much love! Paula

And see you down the road.

Nest Next? Don't go for a tiny tiny teardrop... the toilet is a bucket of kitty litter. Lily would NOT approve.

[mimiandrews]

I agree with Paula. The "good guy" who motions you to go ahead of him is setting up a nasty trap. It's human nature--He's paying attention to his attempt to communicate with you via signals, not the situation with the rest of the traffic. Meanwhile, you're distracted by the same communication task augmented by your good manners while trying to signal "Thanks." No one is doing the basic traffic scan one would do if approaching an empty intersection.

[Lily&Me]

In hindsight, if I’d known how busy the intersection was I would have pulled into the right turn lane, gone down the road and found a place to turn around...but, I didn’t, and was in the left turn only lane.

The truck coming from my right may well have stopped to let me thru because he needed all the room he could get to make his turn.

Talking with a friend this morning, she once pulled out in front of a motorcycle she didn’t see coming.

I was supposed to feel more like “stuff happens”, but I’m not there yet.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by mimiandrews

I agree with Paula. The "good guy" who motions you to go ahead of him is setting up a nasty trap. It's human nature--He's paying attention to his attempt to communicate with you via signals, not the situation with the rest of the traffic. Meanwhile, you're distracted by the same communication task augmented by your good manners while trying to signal "Thanks." No one is doing the basic traffic scan one would do if approaching an empty intersection.

And I think that’s exactly what happened, Mimi, tho it was my responsibility to look.

I’m now in hypervigilant mode.

Maggie

[mimiandrews]

Yeah, stuff happens. But when it happens to you, it takes a while for the shock to wear off.

Rest a lot, cry if you need to, and take your time with important decisions.

[Lily&Me]

Thank you.

I’m feeling a bit shocky today, more so than the past two.

Maggie

[mimiandrews]

The adrenaline rush got you through the past two days. Now, it's wearing off.

That Interstate was an old friend and had lots of memories for you. Expect a few of the stages of grief, even though it was an inanimate object.

[Foiled Again]

Increased emotion comes after the body starts healing.

I took over a month to pick up Eddie after my accident, and I was full-timing.

Had serial panic attacks on the way to and from Colonial. That was normal... but wow, there is no deodorant that fixes fear sweat. Threw a couple of shirts away! Took a few months to get to a new "normal" but kept the distances short and Walmart as my rain delay stop.

It will get a little better every day... but you will only notice it periodically.

[silverslppr]

Maggie our hearts are with you. Please, if you can, stop over at Moraine View for some camaraderie and hugs!

[Lily&Me]

Thank you.

Maggie

[paiceman]

Having been a serious motorcycle rider for over 50 years I've lost a number of fellow riders, good friends and a cousin on bikes all while making a left hand turn across traffic.

Rest up until the tension of the accident wears off, the emotional impact of such an event can linger a while and as with you not kick in for a few days.

Our Best

Bud

[AirstreamCSH]

Lily
Like many others here, I’ve read your posts without replying mostly for inspiration as your blog has been more of a narrative than a question set. You already know how to cope with setback but the question for you today is whether you’ve had your ride and are willing to let the horse hobble back to the stable. That’s for you to decide but I’m guessing a big part is whether you can afford the next part.

As an academic exercise, why not ask JC what it would cost for them to transfer your AI body to a new Sprinter chassis. At the same time, talk to a local body shop about the cost of transplanting a low mileage complete front end onto yours assuming the chassis isn’t bent. Someone will do this assuming you let the insurance company total it. Why not you?

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by AirstreamCSH

As an academic exercise, why not ask JC what it would cost for them to transfer your AI body to a new Sprinter chassis. At the same time, talk to a local body shop about the cost of transplanting a low mileage complete front end onto yours assuming the chassis isn’t bent. Someone will do this assuming you let the insurance company total it. Why not you?

That's not terribly practical for either case. Maggie's (Lily is her dog) Interstate was on a T1N-model Sprinter. The newer NCV3 model Sprinters have significant differences in dimensions, so a straight sway wouldn't be possible.

[Lily&Me]

I can’t fathom the logistics of converting what’s left into a functional RV.

My mind just can’t wrap itself around it, tho it’s a lovely fantasy....I need that magic wand I’ve been looking for.

Maggie

[rmkrum]

(Sigh) is loan you my magic wand, but I think it blew a fuse and quit working sometime around 1970...

Maintain some sense of humor...it’s the only way to cope with the absurdity of life...

[Lily&Me]

We head back to the remains of the Interstate in the morning.

DD is going with me, we’ll get it emptied out and spend the night. SIL said if she hadn’t wanted to come with me, he would have.

It had been an interesting few days with the new dog, Lucy. She is also an alpha and has been determined to not only make Lily submit (she has) but to monitor Lily’s interactions with Lenny and the aged one....and intervene forcefully if she thinks Lily is threatening one of them.

The old dog is one of those breeds whose teeth show all the time, like the English bulldog SIL had who had to be put down several months ago.

Lily perceives those visible teeth as a threat, in my opinion, and when Lily growled and bared her teeth to her last evening we had another altercation where Lucy had Lily’s ear between her teeth. No blood drawn, but lots of yelping going on.

Lucy gets on a situation and doesn’t want to back off, wants them in a corner and reduced to a terrified puddle. It is a bit frightening to watch, and Lucy had to have a zap on her collar to get her to stop, but I’m sure Lucy could have really hurt Lily if she wanted to.

This morning, they were all like “this is just dog stuff, pack stuff, no biggie”, all of them going about their business without problem.

Lily’s not hiding or cowering or even acting afraid. It’s been interesting to watch, but they’ve done well all day.

I’ve been tearing up the email to Bud, who has been advising on the dogs the last few days.

Thank you for so willingly sharing your expertise, Bud.

Maggie

[Hittenstiehl]

I was interested to hear how Lily and Lenny got reacquainted after their last fun visit. Seems Lucy has changed the dynamic a bit. I know nothing about dogs but it seems that Lucy is a little insecure and has a little bit of dog bullying going on.

I was also betting that you and Bud had a good conversation going on about how to handle the new new dynamics of this Trio.

Many hearts are with you as you go on your excursion tomorrow to empty the Interstate of its beloved memories. It will likely be a day filled with action and packing more than reminiscing. I'm thinking the heart will be heavy as you unload but get heavier as you take it out of the rental vehicle and into your house when you arrive home.

You will handle this next step with your usual grace and fortitude as you are a "get it done person". From my selfish standpoint I cannot imagine the forums without you and will be interested to see what your new path will be.

[47WeeWind]

Maggie:

Sorry to hear about your accident but happy to learn that you and Lily are OK. Best wishes for a satisfactory resolution with your insurance carrier.

[Mollysdad]

I'm saddened by the loss of your Airstream.
I'm pleased that you're going to be okay.
Your thread has over 5000 responses, and 300,000 views.
You've made a difference!

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

. . .
. . . I need that magic wand I’ve been looking for.
. . .

Please consider the possibility -- that you and Lily being alive to tell this tale -- might suggest that the magic wand has already been waved . . .



Will post the song Footprints in the OTRA II music thread, about new contexts which appear in life just when . . .




PS -- The first tune on that thread is also a good one for consideration -- May I Suggest by Susan Werner.