The Nice Thing About Strangers
Creative Non-Fiction Short Stories. :) Travel, Oldsters, Love, and Compassion.
Nana, did you have any idea?
Not a day of strangers, I spent the afternoon with my niece Addyson (yes, that Addyson). My mother’s birthday gift was a surprise on her return from Oregon. We cleaned out the garage, fixed the garage door opener, and now she can have her car inside for the winter. It may not sound like much, but there was a dumpster involved. And eleventy-billion flower pots, childhood bicycles, flattened basketballs, random cables and boards, window coverings, tarps, so on. It was family-of-seven meets depression-era-thriftiness meets “we’ll look at that in the spring.”
Items still in the garage: two of those sleds. (Photo circa 1982.)
Addy wanted to come along to fetch Mom from the airport, to ride along to the house armed with the garage door opener, then to play out the scenario as she instructed:
“Okay, Aunt Paige, we drive up and Nana’s car will be in the garage and maybe I can say, ‘Oh no, where’s Nana’s car?’ Then you say, ‘Hit it Addy!’ And I will push the button. And the door will open. And then Nana will probably start crying.”
The plan came to fruition mere moments ago. No tears, but Mom was as happy as I had hoped. Was it a week-of-reorganizing-worth of happy? Um. It fits the blog better if I allude to it and let the reader imagine. But at the next snowstorm, I think we shall see Giddy Grandma.
Items still in the garage: that stroller.
Items still in the garage: that changing table.
Next week, stories from the road…
The Nice Thing About Strangers 
Fun – especially since I didn’t have to clean out the garage.
AnElephantCant help thinking
About a song that he once got taught
As far as he knows
This is how it goes
Little things mean a lot
Lol….the baby laying at the bottom of that changing table was too hilarious!
Yep, I’m the baby on the inside of the bottom shelf. I apparently used to tuck my animals in and sleep there. Can you tell I enjoyed a full house? 🙂
Some things are just too precious to go in a Dumpster!
Good choices on the keepers! 😉
I recognize that Dodge Aspen from my youth.
Hahah! My older sister crashed it at age 16. No one was hurt by the dear family car. Alas. Dad was lamenting the loss of those old wheels this week! Still smarts. 🙂
It’s not just a garage but a history lesson.