That was the plan, but after sitting idle in the garage for five weeks, plus the six weeks before that, with a mere ten minutes of driving between… that is not what happened. Not only would my vehicle not start, it was entirely silent when I turned the key. The automatic locks failed to respond, the dome light was off, and the telltale clicking signifying a dead battery was entirely absent. It was beyond dead, too dead to respond to a jump start.

Fortunately Brad is still working from home, so his truck was available. He was a nervous wreck watching me and Em on Google maps, just sure that a wreck would be the result of our trip. I don’t care for driving his truck, but that doesn’t mean I loath its very existence, and would use the opportunity to commit vehicular homicide. Besides, although I wasn’t taking a drive for my health, I was for Em’s. So we made it safely to the doc’s and back, much to Brad’s relief.

If only relief would come to Em so easily. She is in tremendous pain, from what the doc believes is her gallbladder. The ultrasound scheduled Monday, which is the earliest possible, will confirm or rule that out. In the meantime, she’s on a BRAT diet; bananas, rice, apples, and un-buttered toast. So not only is she in a lot of pain, she’s deprived of all her favorite foods, and left to choose from what she would rarely if ever eat voluntarily. I really, really hope it brings her relief. Because right now, it’s just making her mad!

After we returned home, Walmart grocery delivery delivered a battery charger to our door. We did order it, after all. I’m so thankful for this service. It’s saved me a tremendous amount of time in the past several years. We talk about retiring to the small mountain town that is the inspiration for Cedar Oaks, but we each have a stipulation; It must have good internet, and grocery delivery. Right now, it has neither. It’ll be a few years before retirement becomes a serious consideration, so maybe by then. In the meantime, my battery is fully charged and my vehicle starts just fine. Wherever we travel, Brad can rest assured that his truck is safe!