1 December 2009 I should have removed my hat

The dawn brought a world softened by hoar frost clinging to every visible surface. The weather service described it as “freezing fog.” They counseled extreme caution for anyone driving. Just venturing out onto the front steps or rear deck required lots of caution.


The creek is high and fast but within its banks this morning. I didn’t get any photographs until around 1030 when the best image had already melted.

We are expecting 1-2 inches of rain from a Gulf low reinforcing a low coming from the northwest. The combination is expected to bring wind and rain to the Appalachian chain and severe weather to Florida and the flat lands to our east. By this time Thursday we may be seeing another flood.

The trip into Johnson City last night took place in light rain, sufficiently wet to require wipers but not heavy enough to clean the oil off the windshield. The new glasses will work if I can get them adjusted to my face. Without the anti-glare coating they are much easier to keep clean than the previous pair. There is still some horrible glare to contend with but glare has always been a problem for me for some reason. I’d hoped the cataract surgeries would help that but it seems they didn’t.

We pulled up in the Washington County Health Dept parking lot about 1740. Both of us had visions of sitting in a cluster of sick people with sick kids while we waited for our immunizations. Much to our surprise and pleasure, there was no crowd of patients or people seeking vaccinations. There were lots of employees and/or volunteers who processed our paperwork within 2 minutes and sent us down a series of halls where someone at each intersection pointed the next path to take. Within 10 minutes of arriving we had both been vaccinated and were back in our car by 1800.

The person who vaccinated both of us, RN or LPN – I’m not sure- asked if we were ready for Christmas. Our standard reply, “Chanukah,” kicked in. Her eyes got wide and her jaw dropped a bit.

“Oh, you mean you’re?”

Synchronous chorus: “That’s right we’re.”

There was no animosity on her part that we could perceive none in return from us.

After we returned home we realized that if she had grown up locally and trained as an LPN locally she might never have met a Jewish person before. We laughed about it when we realized what had probably happened. But the truth is there are very few Jewish families or single people in the region. There are still many local people who know nothing about Jews or Judaism except what they hear in their churches. And that’s not always what we wish they would hear. I suspect the horn myth still circulates here.

After being vaccinated we took advantage of the location and had dinner at Miso-Teriyaki. It was our second meal there and we were quite surprised when the waiter recalled us from our first meal. He recalled that we were following dinner by seeing Sonia Rutstein perform – well he recalled a performance. We were impressed and took his suggestion for a sushi house specialty which we shared. I brought home quite a lot of meat and rice which we’ll have for dinner tonight after adding some leftovers.

The trip home was uneventful and intermittently brightened by a nearly full moon. We were recklessly passed by some idiot who couldn’t wait to get past a double yellow line. He could have safely and legally passed us in about 30 seconds after he jerked back into the westbound lane. I don’t know what makes people think that they can drive so carelessly. The road was wet and there were enough pockets of water that hydroplaning was highly possible. But after he was racing away from us while I drove at the legal limit, I was just as happy to have him in front of me. Better to let idiots lead the way.