Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker
Following a two-week battle with the summer flu, I awoke early one summer morning to get errands done and to feel the breeze of a cooler summer morning. After hurriedly doing my morning chores, such as drinking coffee and feeding my cat, I got ready, got in my car and off I went.
It was such a beautiful morning and I appreciated the beauty of the earth and how fortunate we are to be a part of it. As I pulled onto the main road, I was pleasantly surprised to see lots and lots of traffic and people up and about as early as I was. The occasion? The U.S. 127 garage sales were in full swing and people were walking, driving and riding bicycles to get those bargains. I think it is amazing to see all the sales going on and how so many travelers go through the area this particular weekend.
However, watch out for the drivers. The bargain hunters pull out in front of other cars, walk across the roads without warning and park their cars wherever they want. I am fine with all of this, because all of the sellers and buyers are working at either making money or spending money.
That morning I saw all kinds of garage sale displays, tents and even a hot air balloon advertising their wares. One location was offering free coffee, while another sign was posted which read, “Homemade Food.”
Believe it or not, this is part of the U.S.A. As for me, I love bargains too, but walking around or driving for hours to find one takes too much time and effort.
As I meandered my car to the shopping center, I was so happy that it was only 8:30 a.m. and perhaps I could grab a cart, run down the aisles, grab my items and check out quickly.
The first thing I noticed when I got out of my car was a small dog locked in a van. The poor little thing was scratching at the vehicle windows and barking very loudly and frantically. I noticed, too, that one window was cracked and so it appeared the animal could get some air. Poor little dog. I probably should have said something but I thought the doggie was getting some air.
I could not believe it, but the store was also very busy and, of course, only one check out lane was open. It took me some time to get my list of items, so I thought perhaps the store would not be as crowded if I did just take my time.
One item on my list was light bulbs. Do you know how many kinds of light bulbs there are? There are energy saving bulbs, solar, all kinds of wattages and various shapes and colors.
I picked up a package of light bulbs, which were made by GE. On the front it said, “Daytime bulbs.” I had no idea what daytime bulbs were, so I called a friend who did not know either. I did not know if those bulbs just worked in the daytime or if they were as bright as daytime at nighttime. However, I bought them and we shall see.
After I checked out my items, I forgot where I had parked my car. so I went out the wrong door and had to walk around to the other side with my bags. I found my car, but that little dog was still barking and putting up a fuss. I do wonder why people take their dogs shopping and leave them in a car for an hour? It makes no sense.
I did not get around that day as fast as I wanted to, but my day was not over. I had to play music that night around the Melrose area. So leaving home around 5 pm I was surprised again. More sales even on 613. I have never seen so many items for sale. There were cars coming out of driveways and cars passing each other to get that last elusive bargain. I lost count of how many sales I did see. I used to drive home from music before I met Denny and always turned the radio on There were shows on such as “Mary Foster, Editor’s Daughter.”
I was cruising along listening to the perils of Mary Foster in the moonlit night. All of a sudden, I saw something run across the road right in front of me. Then there was another something, just like the first one, right behind it. Thank God I got stopped just in time, because it was two baby deer who must have lost their mama. They scurried so fast across the road into a cornfield. I was very, very lucky not to have hit them. Those deer were lucky and so was I. I thanked the Lord right there in my car.
Another person was also lucky on that road. There was a man riding a motorcycle who had absolutely no lights on. I guess God was looking out for all of us. The rest of my drive was uneventful.
I am also a fan of the TV show called “Big Brother.” I settled down in my easy chair with a snack and prepared to watch my taping. Oh, no! For some reason it did not tape. Somehow I wound up taping a lot of episodes of “People’s Court.”
There is so much to see and learn during the course of a day. That day, I learned about garage sales and trying to count them, little barking dogs in cars, finding my car, almost hitting two deer, a man on a dark motorcycle, and I am still trying to figure out how to tape “Big Brother.”
What kind of days do you have? Are they busy or uneventful? Did you go to any garage sales? Let me know and I’ll give you a Penny for Your Thoughts.
Editor’s Note: On a 70-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 99 degrees in 20 minutes. On a 90-degree day, it can hit 109 degrees in 10 minutes. That’s enough time for animals to sustain brain damage or die of heatstroke.
If you see a dog left in a car—even on a mild day with the windows cracked—to take down the color, model, make, and license plate number, and have the owner paged at the nearest businesses. If the owner can’t be located, the witness is encouraged to call humane authorities or the police. And if authorities are slow to respond and the dog appears to be in imminent danger, rescuers should find another person to back up their assessment, remove the animal from the car, and wait for officials to arrive. They should give the dog water and, if possible, get him or her into an air-conditioned building or vehicle.
Ohio has a good Samaritan law that protects compassionate citizens who save animals or children from hot vehicles. Car windows are replaceable. Lives are not.
