Comings, Goings and Suspicious Behavior

Our children are on the move this month. Here's some of the stuff my oldest moved from LA and has dumped, I mean temporarily stored, in our basement while he looks for an apartment in New York.



And here's some of the stuff that my daughter will be taking with her to college on Saturday. I didn't bother to take a photo of what has been in my middle son's room since he came home from college in May because, well, you get the picture.

And speaking of the middle one, I spent the day traveling up and down the Pennsylvania Turnpike from our house to his camp in the Poconos and back again. He hurt his left hand on Thursday evening and finally went to the ER near camp on Saturday afternoon. X-rays confirmed that he had fractured a bone near his little finger. They gave him a splint and told him to see an orthopedic surgeon in 5-7 days. So I spent Monday morning arranging the appointment, dithering between whether he should go to someone close to his school or come home. We finally decided he should come home and this afternoon he was seen by the doctor affiliated with our local hospital. The good news is that the break doesn't require surgery or a cast and he only has to wear a splint for the next four weeks. I got him back in time for his 6:30pm meeting.

But the day was not without some drama (other than the 360 miles I put on the car). Since we needed to bring the x-rays with us, we had to stop at the hospital in the Poconos to pick them up. I, of course, being unfamiliar with the area, saw a building that looked like it could be a small community hospital and turned in. As I drove through, it became apparent that it wasn't a hospital and I turned around to ask directions from two women who were out walking. They seemed very flustered and told me I was on federal property just as the security patrol pulled up. The officer was pretty testy about me being there and didn't soften his attitue when I told him I hadn't seen the sign in front. Now, mind you, this was a facility for a goverment agency that provides you money in retirement (I'm a little paranoid about the experience and am avoiding giving the actual name in case they flag mentions of the agency on the internet.) There I was, a middle-aged blond-haired, blue-eyed women in a mini-van and I was being told that there were lots of cameras trained on me since I had entered the property twice. Just what kind of threat did I pose? True, my dark-haired son who hadn't shaved in four days and had several layers of dirt on him might have looked somewhat sinister (he is left-handed after all), but I really don't think that justified telling me that I would absolutely have to turn around and leave rather than just going back the way I came in. Maybe the patrol's attitude stemmed from his fears that he will never see any money from that agency in his retirement. And really, if they didn't want me there, shouldn't they have a gate?

Comments

  1. MargaretAugust 12, 2010 at 4:22 AM

    My husband had a similar experience about straying accidentally on federal property -- and this was elsewhere. It really is weird, isn't it? As for all the piles of stuff -- ugh! I'm lucky in that I only have one in college at this point. Glad your son doesn't need surgery. What an experience for you though, with all that driving and the feds and all! Whew!

    ReplyDelete
  2. JanAugust 12, 2010 at 12:01 PM

    Good Grief, I think that there is a test that some government officials take before they are hired, and that would have to screen them to make sure that they had 'power issues'!

    Lots of temporary piles you have there! lol

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sherry :o)August 12, 2010 at 6:43 PM

    And you pay their salaries! Isn't that a hoot.

    I remember the piles of stuff when we left and return from college each year...sometimes really fun, others scary. My mom smiled widely as we loaded cars in the fall.

    Glad your son will be okay.

    ReplyDelete
  4. woolwomanAugust 13, 2010 at 8:12 AM

    Gosh what an episode Susan - I can imagine you were somewhat flustered about that. I hate trying to find things in a strange town and getting all turned around. A little kindness and understanding would have gone a long way.
    Mel

    ReplyDelete
  5. MysteryKnitterOctober 11, 2015 at 5:48 PM

    What an episode! I am sad it happened. I hope you found the hospital, though.

    ReplyDelete

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