the driving chronicles

Let me say, I am proud of being a natural blonde. I love people asking me who does my hair and I say Pantene and my Chi.

If turning 37 didn't give me gray hairs, Hannah's driving permit will.

I have been going to my Dad & Cindy's (my other Mom) place since I was ten. They live in a very small town, your nearest neighbor is a mile away and you can see every star in the sky at night.

On our way to the bus when my brother and I would be leaving, we would almost every time see a road runner perched on a rock by the last turn.

every time we go there now, we always say, "There's the rock".

Now we have "there's the tree" to add.

Hannah has been driving short little spurts since getting her permit. To walgreens, to driver's ed, short, controlled distances. When we fled to my Dad's during Rita, we thought it would be a great chance to let Hannah drive down country roads.

The one little store had gas. We ran up there to fill up. Hannah is driving. Country roads. They are usually one lane, if by chance another car actually comes towards you, you gently yield to the right and let them pass.

As it happened, a truck was coming towards us. Country one lane road. Hannah yields, rather turns to the right, and acts like a horse who doesn't want to be ridden. She goes right under a large oak tree.

Ssss-crrrr-atttt-chhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

The passenger side of my truck has scrapes alllllll down the top of the roof.

I stopped counting scratches a long time ago, but the knee jerk reaction was JESUS CHR*ST HANNAH!!!!!!

Get a grip.

I remember driving my Dad's car down the very same roads, I remember my brother backing into a tree.

Now as we leave, we will see the rock, and the tree.

The other night, she learned what the side mirrors are for. She is driving us to dinner. We need to turn left. She needs to merge into the left hand turn lane. She has her blinker on, she is merging, and she hears HOOOONNNNK!!!!!!!

Some idiot decides he is going to get in the lane about 500 feet back where it is still yellow. It was not her fault, but not looking in her mirror was. I tell her again, it is not you, you have to worry about it, it is all the other idiots out there.

I think she believes me now.

She is actually doing very well. Considering she is learning in a big old fat assed Tahoe.

She now checks her mirrors every time.