Imaginary Maggie Knits!

The creator of LadyHawk Nutrition blogspot not only works, entertains, finds time for family and friends, and operates a thriving nutritional consultation office on weekends, but she's crafty too!

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Location: Saugatuck, Michigan, United States

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Thursday, September 11, 2008

Seven years ago today

I didn’t watch the news last night like I usually like to do while I’m making dinner. I have to admit that I got a new PSP game and played it until my thumbs were numb and my shoulders were sore. Then decided we were going out to dinner instead.

Sometimes ya just gotta take a night off.

Then this morning I didn’t watch the news like I usually like to do while putzing around the house and getting ready for work. I got up a little early today and did a yoga class that I recorded on that wonderful little TiVo box. Love me my TVR!

After yoga “class” I turned on the Today Show to get my Matt Lauer fix and was promptly reminded that today is September 11th.

I was mortified that it never crossed my mind all day yesterday or this morning that seven years ago today the world changed just a little bit. Then I was frustrated with the news agencies that didn’t remind me sooner. I wondered why and realized that it was probably because of the elections. Covering election dirty laundry and soap opera scandals is SO much more entertaining news than covering the 7th anniversary of 9/11.

Let me tell you a portion of the story of my experience of September 11, 2001. I bought a new car. Now, I know that may sound bad, but I had ordered it a couple of months earlier, and the dealership received it special-order from the factory a couple of days earlier and spent those couple of days cleaning it and pampering it and getting my plates and stuff. Around 2:00 that afternoon I got a call from the Chrysler salesman, Chad, whom I had known for years and had bought my previous car from. He said “Maggie, I just wanted you to know that I understand if you don’t want to buy this car today. There is a lot going on and I don’t want to you feel like you have to come in, or that there would be any hurt feelings”.

I thought about this for all of 1.62 seconds and replied “Chad, really. I am a white, college educated, self-supporting, full-time working wife, mother and grandmother, who is able to buy herself a brand new American made car. There is absolutely nothing that these orthodox Muslim zealots would hate more than for me to throw all of that up into their faces and buy myself this car today. Of all days, today is the perfect day to by myself this car.”

Chad whimpered in a small but happy voice “I love you Maggie!”

Sunday, September 07, 2008

The Meandering Vacation: Chapter 11

After waking up slowly on Sunday we packed up the convertible, said our goodbyes, and hit the road south. Neither the D.H. or I had ever been on the road known as "Alligator Alley" so we decided to take that route to my parents' winter home on Key Largo. I took this photo so you would know what Alligator Alley looks like. Well, it looks like this... for hours! Thick evergreen trees growing up to the shoulder of the road for a couple hundred miles. Really pretty for a half hour, but honestly kinda boring after that. And clausterphobic. There are almost no breaks in the trees until you get closer to Miami, and you can easily see why they film so many TV episodes and movies here.
It's creepy.
It's isolated.
It's long.
It's definitely worth the drive, and I loved it. But I'm not sure if I would want to drive my Harley down this road because if I broke down it could be a long walk to a gas station or at least quite a few minutes until a car came by. Oh yeah, not a lot of cell phone range here either.

I love anyplace where I can really unplug.