First Night on the Farm

I started out late on Sunday. I meant to get an early start. Plans change. Things happen. And I didn't get out the door till 1:30 p.m. But I made good time. Until I got to Leesburg, that is, where I arrived at the scene of a bad accident blocking both lanes of the Turnpike. It clearly had just happened as the State Troopers arrived after I did. That was actually good news. I could tell the accident wasn't too far in front of me, just over the hill. Fifteen minutes later, drivers in cars backing up for miles turned their engines off and started getting out to stretch their legs and trying to find out what was going on. A nice young man, freshly tanned and relaxed, was trying to get home after Spring Break. An older gentleman was returning from dropping friends off at the Orlando Airport. He was trying to get 6 miles down the road to his wife waiting with dinner. He called her and told her to hold off starting the chicken. A young couple was on their way home to Atlanta from a vacation in the Keys. Someone had called the Turnpike Traffic Hotline and discovered that it was a U-Haul truck flipped over a mile in front of us. We saw a State Trooper helicopter overhead and commented that we were glad it wasn't an air ambulance. We heard an ambulance arrive from the other direction. Then 2 tow trucks arrived and we knew traffic would start moving soon. And 30 minutes into the wait, traffic started slowly creeping past the truck. Fifteen minutes later I was on my way again. I was glad I didn't have to be at the farm till Monday morning. I was glad I was still going to arrive with a little bit of daylight left so I could get the car unpacked. I was glad I had filled up with gas in Orlando and had taken a restroom break. I was glad I wasn't 15 miles back.

I pulled into the driveway at the farm about 7:30 p.m. The sun was starting to go down, but I thought if I moved quickly I could get the car unloaded. I hadn't noticed in my 2 previous trips up here that the outside light wasn't working and made a mental note to pick up light bulbs. It dawned on me that I forgot a flashlight. I hoped the rest of the lights were working in the house. They were. A tall lanky gentleman with a heavy Boston accent and a head thick with white hair sauntered over from the property immediately to the east of ours. He introduced himself as Peter and welcomed me to the neighborhood. Said I should come over any time if I had questions or needed something. How nice. That would never happen in Pembroke Pines. He carried in the box with the card table and chairs that I planned on using for a dining room table and desk. I got everything piled into either the kitchen or the master bedroom. I was hungry. I realized I didn't know what time town closes up and I better get there if I wanted to get anything to eat for dinner. I figured I could call Mickey from the restaurant to tell him I was here. I could blow up the air mattress when I got back.

As I drove the 10 miles back to town I realized I should pick a place close to I-75 so I wouldn't get lost in the dark. It was going to be hard enough to get back home not knowing the roads and having limited light sources. Rural areas don't have the street lights that cities do. I ended up at Bob Evans and had a chicken pot pie. Remind me not to do that again. I'd much rather have a quick PB&J at the house. I know it would taste better and I'm pretty sure it would be more nutritious. I called Mickey. I ran to the 24-hour Wal-Mart on the other side of I-75 to pick up a few things to eat and some cleaning supplies. I made it back home. It was 10 p.m. I was beat from the long day. I set up the table and chairs and put my computer on the table in the kitchen. I blew up the air mattress and crawled into bed. I needed sleep.

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. Monday morning. It was still pitch black outside, but I felt like I always do in the country. Relaxed and at peace. I made a pot of coffee and started putting things away and cleaning the kitchen. It's amazing what a little baking soda and vinegar can do to freshen up a place. I got the sink and countertops clean. I wiped down the fronts of the kitchen cabinets and wiped out the insides of some of them so I could put the few dishes, pots and pans I brought with me away. I wiped down the stove and refrigerator. I needed to soak the removable parts of the inside of the refrigerator, but I couldn't find a stopper for the sink. I grabbed a notebook and started making a list of things to pick up at Wal-Mart. Sink stopper. Dish pan. Dish drainer. Light bulbs. I poured a second cup of coffee. The sun was starting to come up and I decided to sit on the front steps and watch it finish.