Connect the Dots

Arlene Blackman Yolles ♦ December 29, 2024 ♦ 5 Comments

Pardon me if this is a bit rambling, but if you read carefully, you will be able to connect the dots from Mah Jongg to Parmagian.

Last Thursday, eagerly looking forward to my weekly mah jongg game, I faced the frigid temperatures and headed for my car.  The car, however, had other plans; it did not start.  Nothing, not a sound, no rrrrrrr, not even a clicking engine noise.  I called Geico, they sent out a service man and he started it.  “Battery dead,” was the diagnosis.

Car running, I went into the house to phone our honest, trustworthy and dependable mechanic, Angelo.  Directed to voice mail.  Well, it was the day after Christmas, perhaps he took a well-deserved vacation. Therefore, alternate plan … I drove the car to a Subaru dealer in the next town.  Someone from there drove me to a car rental agency where I picked up an “economy” car costing $119 a day.

The next day, I got a text from the dealer with all the service items they thought the car needed, including a new battery (duh!), new tires, cabin air filter, etc.  $1700.  I thought I’d try Angelo again.  He answered! Now I had to formulate a plan to retrieve the car from the dealer and get it to him.

Luckily, my good friends were going out at that time and we arranged for them to meet me at Angelo’s, where I’d leave my rental, they would drive me to Subaru where I’d pick up my car, and then I’d return to Angelo and drive home in my rental.  Are you still with me?  We’ll get to the Parmagian soon, I promise.

I wanted to return the rental on Sat. because I had no weekend plans, and why pay for it?  The next day, Sat., was cold and raining lightly.  I decided, given the weather and the fact that I had no plans, I would spend the day making my famous Parmagian, most of whose ingredients I had in the house, I just needed the perishable items.  I left the house and, even though I will take an umbrella at the hint of a raindrop, I eschewed such because I knew I would just run in to the market, drop off the stuff at home, return the car and take an Uber home.  Practically no time in the rain.

I was approaching the market at 11 am when I decided to check the hours of the rental agency. They close at noon on Sat.!  I quickly called them to see if I could return the car in my town, rather than where I got it and got an affirmative answer.  Phew!

I returned the car in my town and knew I had to procure chicken and eggplants so walked (in a steady rain, with no umbrella) a half mile to Whole Foods.  After a kindly clerk assisted me in using the Uber app (I’ve only used it once, with other assistance!), I made it home and started making my sauce.

Chicken and Eggplant

In short time, I realized … I didn’t buy the mozzarella cheese!  Yikes!  I could have used Uber again, but decided to walk to my local Trader Joe’s (2 mi away).  This time I took an umbrella.  Approaching the store, I walked through the CVS parking lot and friends
yoo-hooed me.  Luckily, they offered to drive me home.

So, that’s the connection.  I hope it was interesting. 

To read why my Parmagian is so famous, go to my post in Nov. 2022. (Sorry, I was unsuccessful in imbedding the link … I need help!

BTW, WordPress has gotten so confusing and complicated that I am sincerely thinking of making this my last post. Inserting pictures is tedious and I am usually dissatisfied with the results, they cannot show me a preview, etc.