The Day the Earth Moved for Mark...

It is not what you're thinking!! Late this summer, I was working in my office and went downstairs to ask my husband a question. He looked up and said, "Did hear that boom and feel the earth move?" "Nope...what are you talking about?" We soon discovered the earth had moved so much that we had no water in our house! So what happened?

Google Fiber happened!

Have you had Google Fiber in your neighborhood? You are lucky if you haven't...they arrived unannounced months ago to dig up the easement in front of every house all the way down the street. The end result was ugly orange wrapped cable sticking above ground for months. What an eye sore...they even left a hole unfilled that my husband stepped into that could have broken his leg. We were never given a heads up as to when they would return. Suddenly after months they reappeared this summer going from house to house cutting a line of concrete out of the road to lay the orange tubing and then covering the hole with a gray concrete that doesn't come close to matching the road concrete.

The infamous day that the earth moved, the team hired by Google to install their fiber were cutting the concrete when they cut the waterline to our house! Everyone else had water....we had nothing! I had planned to cook all day for a birthday party. I headed outdoors to see what had happened. A team of three from the Google group and soon after 5 more men arrived from Metro water....it wasn't a good situation....I was out of water for the entire day! We had two massive truck that came and blocked the road in order to figure out how to resolve the issue. Thank goodness for my neighbors across the street who had a circular drive so our neighbors at the dead end were able to get in and out of our street to do what they needed to do. The Metro Water team was awesome and worked diligently until dusk to get our water back on!.

Everyone left...but the road has not been fixed since August. Clearly, it is the responsibility of the group that Google hired who caused the damage. Someone poured rocks in the hole, but it is very unsightly. None of us on the street asked for Google fiber and yet we now have it and a street that looks a mess. Why can't companies take pride in their work and clean up after the mess that they create. Metro Water did an awesome job and cleaned up after themselves!

Our side of the street Our neighbors side of the street

The Face in the Mirror

Saturday, I was up early with a full To-Do list:

• Bake Blueberry Muffins

• Exercise

• Biz Phone Call

• Work on Christmas cards

• Write

• Head over to a friend's house for magnolia cuttings

• Decorate the mailbox and front of the house

• Run errands

Who doesn't have a To-Do list this time of year? Even with a Pandemic, life goes on...

Most people have a morning routine. I rise early as I have never been one to sleep late, much to my sweet husband's dismay as he loves to sleep. My routine is pretty consistent...brush teeth...have coffee with my quiet time...exercise... and dress (which is now a casual laid-back style), put on my face. You know the regular things girls do to get ready for the day. Even with Covid, I consistently put on lipstick as I head out the door only to remember that I have to wear a mask...now the lipstick that I'm wearing is on the mask.

I have barely worn the clothes in my closet this year....my Athleta exercise clothes have become my uniform most days and they have stood the test of wear and tear, after being worn daily over the last 10 months....no fading, no holes...at times they have been a little more snug than usual, but they still look good. There is a downside to something being made well...it means fewer reasons to shop. Just look at the money we women will save this year without holiday parties and New Year's Celebrations. This is the year of dressing down!

Back to my story about Saturday, I was up; dressed and marking off my To-Do list...it was mid-afternoon and I needed to get my errands done. As I headed out the door, I happened to glance in a mirror...I did a double take only to see me without makeup and a messy head of hair! I felt like Kevin in Home Alone as he stood in front of the mirror....my look had nothing to do with "Old Spice" on my cheeks, but more about what I had forgotten to do.

I could never leave the house like this, so I ran upstairs to the bathroom. What about my messy hair? Every woman know what a pain it can be to do your hair in a rush. Thank goodness, my ball cap was next to the mirror...a quick ponytail place in my ball cap... problem solved. Putting on makeup was a different story...at my age it takes more than five minutes to become presentable to the outside world. What to do?

I suddenly realized that it was 2020 and Covid-19 made it easy....I simply grabbed my sunglasses and put on my mask as a time saving get away to hop in the car and run my errands! I had no shame nor embarrassment as I went from place to place because no one around me could see my face!

Let's face it...we can all hide behind our masks. We all still hunger for life after Covid-19. I am ready to head out the door to embrace my life with friends and family more fully, and never take for granted all the freedoms we have in this country.