Pedestrian Trials and Tribulations

 My friend, 

GB Miller was almost hit crossing a road as a pedestrian this week. It was a very close call. It has happened to me numerous times, especially at intersections with "right on red" auto turns during the "pedestrian walk light" time.

So many crossings are poorly designed for pedestrian visibility. Drivers seem to have forgotten that pedestrians always have the right of way, by law.

.................................

February 22, 2026 my area experienced a blizzard. We got about 30 inches here. There was a driving ban for days and nothing melted for over 2 weeks due to sub-freezing, cold temperatures. Clean-up took a very long time. Many town and state sidewalks went unshoveled with feet of snowbanks on them. 

I have been a pedestrian for about 14 years now. It was difficult getting errands done and getting to work even after the buses got running again. 

The Saturday bus driver would not let me out near work and expected me to walk in the highway, no bike lane clear, with my back to the traffic to get to my work building.

Once was enough to scare the hell out of me so bad, that I called out the following Saturday. 

This winter an older girl about my age I knew (from local bus rides) got run over and killed while using her walker, and her boyfriend walking with her got hit also, and had to watch. 

The snow banks were high, there were no sidewalks done on the State road, Route 28, and it was dark early (during daylight savings). 

The driver(s) claimed he couldn't avoid them, but he was obviously driving too fast for road conditions. 

I knew this boyfriend guy's little brother, grew up partying with him as a teen before I moved here. I was also in sculpture/art college with his brother, my friend, in my 30's. 

Their family moved from the city I started in, here to the same spot I moved to as an adult. They were well respected business owners in my town for decades. 

An older man, who had the perfect relationship with his woman, got it all ripped away in an instant due to being a pedestrian. For years everyone watched him aid her in getting errands done, and getting on and off the buses with her walker. 

I often thought that they were so lucky to have each other at this senior  time in their lives. We chatted on the bus rides often. I found out he was the older brother of my old friend, and we had so much in common. 

Now this poor, angry survivor is on a mission to sue everyone involved in his current predicament. I am certain he will get millions in damages, but really, he just wants his love back. 

I feel so devastated for him. He was robbed. 

As we all know, the price of having someone to love is a steep one when losing them. We all must go at some point, but the more sudden it is, the more devastation is felt. 

You can be as careful as possible as a pedestrian, and still be in mortal danger each time you go out the door. You can't control how careful others will be with your life. How others will choose to drive. 

You can only choose how careful you are with other's lives.

Walk and drive with care.

RIP Rose

Karma

Michelle P posted:

I am really done with people who bash and don't care about other people in helpless and  hopeless  situations.  You are so selfish.

.........

My comment:

They are narcissists and judgmental, and may not even change after it has happened to them... But I always think it should happen to them. 

The bully should be bullied, the drivers should be pedestrians, humility is a karma lesson to be learned.

.............

How I choose to deal with it:

If reincarnation is real, then the lady who owns this house would have to live 10 more life times being nice to make up for all the hurt that her cruelty has imposed upon people, which I have witnessed, and what she has done to me. 

Karma for her in this life would be, that she ends up at a nursing home, where no one will listen to what she says, or care, and then gets bullied into doing what she does not want to do daily. 

What she has done to me...

Karma is a B*#&$!!!

Dinner and a Race

 An unexpected gift happened during dinner out at my big Sister and I's hotel restaurant the other night. 

I was watching tv kind of behind me on a medium-large tv, and the Belmont Stakes was coming up soon about 7 pm.

I told my sister about this jockey's horse training / exercise videos that I have been following, which make me feel like I am riding around the track. (Ray Moya). He had just won a race one hour before! 

Then I was chatting about the top 3 faves in the NY race and odds, having followed the horses all Spring season.

We took pics of our food, my sis does it for her weight program support person. So I'm like ok, I'll post mine ...

 There was a guy with jeans and salt and pepper hair and a trimmed beard sitting alone by the window, eating and having a beer. Wish I had left him in the food pics, but that would be rude, so I didn't. 

 We finished with appetizers and entrees, and there was a gluten-free chocolate thing, so got desert. 

We watched the race. It was weird with the music playing over it. I would rather hear the calling, but was glad to see it, as I wasn't sure I would get to, and our room had no tv. (Cheap).

The waitress came over with our check and asked if we knew that guy by the windows. No, we did not. Turns out he had paid our bill for the appetizers and entrees, about $80 dollars! We were still not over it an hour later ... Angels still exist...

15 years ago today

 My neighbor, Jane, passed away. 

I wrote this that day.

Can't get her pic to post here, not sure why. On my phone, won't come to blogger oh well. 

I commented:

"I remember the date, and remember writing a poem that day after hearing about her. 

She was a great mother, person, and neighbor to have. Still missed from old Tesno days!"

Jane only made it to 61 that day. I am older than that now. Her middle daughter, same age as my oldest, only made it to 37, dieing about a year after I moved here from Tesno. ("Tesno" is a local slang name for the back-beach section of the village.)

Thankfully her youngest is happy these days, with her hubby and combined older kids, all doing great!

I remember her as a toddler and her toddlers looking so like their mom. 

Jane's seeds are indeed springing up from below for a just legacy. 

I am glad I went out of my way to help watch Jane's kids after school, and to drive her sometimes when she had 2 broken ankles or the bad back and needed her Rx pills. On one occasion I saved her from being stranded without a way home after bumping into her.

Hopefully she gets to look down on her grandkids now and feel the success they embody for her.

We truly never know when time is up, so be kind to your neighbors... 

15 years 

Holiday Project

 

At holiday time consider your Past Friends.

Sometimes just FB contact isn't enough to not feel isolated. 

..........

(*Pic of re-united ppl years ago*)

SnaggleTooth:  

We all need more people like this in our life!

Friend:  

I haven’t seen them since this day 3 years ago 🥲

SnaggleTooth:

Why more should reach out. No one knows the rat race they have to keep up. Holidays you have more old home time usually . I had one way past person call me after years during a blizzard once, and I appreciated the contact. It is always good to reach back. I hate feeling abandoned sometimes, always great to be remembered in person!

Friend:  

yes that’s so true but for me it doesn’t happen. No one calls or comes over to say hello

SnaggleTooth:

 maybe they will reconsider after reading this...

..........

(* Nancy , Jody was the person checking on me in the blizzard! It had been decades. That is okay!)..........   

*This has been an original Public Service Message

I Found a Current Post

 So pretty and polished those surfaces.

Where I reflect on my parents and brother are weathered and the plantings are large now, no adornments allowed. the artist in me hates that. 

In Northern Maine my ancestors have a mountain view and worn out stones, difficult to locate amid all the new ones. Aunt, uncle, fave cousin, Gramps all in the new section. 

I've slacked off the blogging, but at least I can read again. It will come back, my writing. Yay, new Chromebook.

You are always worth reading. Cemeteries can be difficult.

To me the memories of them living and the sound of their voice is a more welcome visit.

I think I will not be planted...

Carmi from Written Inc wrote:   a-moment-in-stormy-cemetery

but that's what my reflection on the subject was...

Having a heck of a time getting used to not being on the phone where caps are automatic... 

Hopefully I will get back here with an image... ugh darn passwords

Can't upload a pic on my new pc, but will from the phone. Ugh again...

Where have I Been?

 

I am still here, just took a BIG Blogging break. 

I followed my blog link recently posted on fb and to my big surprise found a couple comments! That hasn't happened since I started ESR2... 

That has something to do with the slowdown. Feels a bit unrewarding when no one is even reading your stuff anymore, huh?

Well tax time is a couple weeks away, and I have already wasted many free hours of times over several weeks reading those foolish instructions of worksheets and enter in line 8b the total of  line 7 and 8a... Crap.

I still need to neatly copy my forms (orig ones are scribble forms) and take pics for copies and get them to the Post Office.

No online for me since in 2016, when an entire return amount was stolen out of my bank account the day it went in. Once was enough...

I get to pay on federal this turn, thanks to help from an advocate at the hospital doing my healthcare through the marketplace stuff after I got locked out of my acct on the Library computer. She incorrectly calculated my premium amount due to not counting my Soc.Sec. while working into the MAGI used for it, so form 8962 shows I owe for the months I had insurance. 

TG I am paying the right amount this year (I think). Then I had a penalty state amount for the months I had no insurance. They got me coming and going... 

Then I am limited to the amount they decided you can make with your SocSec pittence until over age 66. 

I just so want that Billion dollar Powerball prize!

I have bought 2 tix. So many problems would melt away, but would be stressed in other ways. Not worried where to live and having space to do art would be the best part. Security and needy folks everywhere would be difficult. 

Plus, I realize I am too old now to revisit most of my old dream things to do. I might try though. I bet I would get super busy with all kinds of projects going on. None of them would include restaurant or food work. 

I need to quit work so bad. For sanity.

Would be nice to go out rich and sane... 

Dream on ... Maybe do a film or 2, a game or 2... A blog or 10... Music, Recordings , the backlog is huge in my head. 

Oh yes, and have a nice Solar Eclipse this Monday, while I am working a job from Hell in a restaurants kitchen and watching it after work on fb and the news...