Driving Bill

After yesterday's political rant posting about Kavanaugh being confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, I am providing a palate cleanser.  

I don't like to posts political rants to my blog but I just had to get my disappointment and frustration out of my system.I had to fight off the urge to post today about those two phonies Senators Flake and Collins but I will spare the readers of my blog. Instead I'm going to post about something that is good.

Almost every day I take Bill out for a ride. Bill still has his driver's license but he doesn't feel comfortable driving now at his age.  For the past year or so I do all the driving for us. In an emergency Bill could still drive, but he prefers me to drive. And I don't mind driving. 

For the first thirty years of our domesticity Bill did all the driving. I had a driver's license but I didn't drive.  I didn't get my own car and drive until we moved out of Philadelphia to the suburb town of Downingtown, PA in 1980.  Then I only drove to work, the grocery store and garden centers.  

Gradually I increased my range of driving to visit my good friend Bob McCamley in Georgetown, Delaware.  I never have driven in a city, like Philadelphia and I never will. That's why I pay a neighbor to taxi me to the Philadelphia airport and my friend Don McKenzie's co-op for me and Pat's twice a year visit to Philadelphia.

Since moving to Delaware in 2007 I gradually took over most of the driving. About eight years ago Bill gave up his Jeep Cherokee and we used my car all the time.  Bill occasionally drove but I did most of the driving. Now I do all the driving.

Every day I try to take Bill out for a ride.  Usually it's too the local Food Lion for food shopping.  About every two weeks we make the twenty mile trip to Millsboro to B.J.s Wholesale store. That's always a special trip that Bill looks forward too.  The other two places that we make occasional visits to are Lowe's and Walmart.

Yesterday I took Bill to Walmart to get a new pair of house slippers.  When I take Bill out he almost always greets older ladies with a "Good morning!"  He often compliments the ladies. In the one photo you'll see woman with a white dress. Bill approached her and complimented her on her dress. She said "Oh thank you!"  

Lady in white dress at checkout counter is who Bill complimented on her dress - Bill usually leaves a trail of either smiling old ladies or old ladies who look at him like he's weird (check out the lady in the black slacks and white top)

After complimenting that lady Bill saw this other woman in black.  He didn't know it but this is a woman I work with at the hotel.  Her name is Helen.  As Bill approached her to compliment her I told Bill that I work with her.  I don't think Bill heard me, he's very hard of hearing.  

I am so thankful that I have these opportunities to take Bill out for "his ride."  Bill so looks forward to these outings.  

When I first met Bill on that rainy Saturday night in July of 1964 at the Westbury Bar in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; I didn't know that  one day fifty-four years later I would be his caregiver. That I would be the caregiver of a 90 year old man.  If anyone would have told me that was my future, I probably would have turned right around and left that bar and gone into the dark rainy night.  But this is the way my life has evolved.  And I am glad.  This is good.  My life is good. Our life is good.