Have you ever had this many odd and slightly/ dangerous situations in just a few hours?

[hearlady]

So I want to start by saying that I haven't been out of the house for two weeks because of having a cold which laid me low. I debated about going out today but I was out of fresh food and with a break in the snow I figured I'd go out in the frigid temps.

I'm going to list by numbers, it'll keep this post shorter or it'd be too long, but some descriptiveness is included. *TLDR at end of post.

1. Was extra careful driving out of my driveway due to the nearly 4.5 feet hill of snow thanks to the plow drivers who cleared this road. Okay, I thought here I go and suddenly some suv is on my tail. He was not to be seen as I edged out and looked repeatedly in all directions. Road surface was mostly clear with some icy spots.

2. Went downtown to go to bank, a straightish drive from where I first got to the next road. Not bad driving until I turned into the road which leads to the bank driveup window. Car didn't look and pulled out in front of me from their parking spot, I slammed on brakes. Ok, I'm cool let it go.

3. Driver's License fell off driveup window tray. I have to pull all the way forward to get out of the car and retrieve my license. Fine. It's wet and dirty, but I put it on a tissue until I can clean it. No biggie.

Just as I settle back in the car and drive to the end of the bank lane and attempt to enter the road, a big pickup truck comes zooming in front of me in order to get a parking spot on the street outside the bank's door. I had to floor the brakes. I shake my head again and figure this is just one of those things.

3. Grocery shopping, nothing bad except being overcharged 3plus dollars on one box of tea. Had to wait in long line at Customer Service for refund.

4. I made my way to Aldi and just as I finished loading the trunk, a man approached me and asked if I was finished with the cart and could he have my cart since it had the quarter in the slot. I said sure and he poured three coins into my hand.

I said this isn't a quarter. I gave him back the 3 coins. Saying what do you want me to do with these? He said I could use them the next time I come to Aldi. I said you can give these inside and they will give you a quarter.

He was a tall man and trying to intimidate me. He lurched at me so I backed up, with my cart, and then the verbal abuse was off and running.

You'd think I was an ex-wife, bad mother, or something. As he got louder and was walking back and forth and using bad language something just snapped in me.

I laughed. I laughed at his expectation that I was supposed to coddle his shortcoming in not having a quarter (you know I've not had a quarter once and I didn't attack anyone).

After I laughed I asked why he can't get the quarter inside rather than exploding. For good measure, at least for me, I feel he must have thought here's a fool, so I asked him if he thought I was born yesterday?

The best thing about this encounter was that I stuck up for myself. Now, just to let you know, if this was someone with any disability I would have given the quarter and expected nothing in return. Several times I've seen women with a few children trying to hold on to them and I just give them my cart to make things a bit easier for them. I've helped elderlies reach items and help in other ways too. Sometimes I just leave the cart with the quarter in it near the other carts for someone to use. That happens more often with other people also close to holidays or bad weather.

I also went to the library and another store and thankfully nothing out of the ordinary happened.

5. One of my last stops was going to Walmart. It's located with a bunch of other stores, restaurants, etc by driving off the main roads into the parking area. This road runs through the shopping/dining/etc and it is 2 lanes going in both directions. If you drive to the end of these roads there is no access out. You must go back and at the traffic light make a turn left or right and then there are other roads and highways you can join. It's less complicated than it may sound.

Wm's parking entrance is on the right hand side. There are 2 entrances/exits into this parking lot serving wm's area.

I was first going to a store near the end of the shopping area and so I was in the left lane of these two lanes. The right lane was mostly used for people going into wm's lot. Fine. However, the first entrance into the lot is not all that far from the traffic light. I never use that entrance/exit because of how near it is to the light and having to wait and wait for the light to change and the amount of cars.

So, this morning I was in the left lane, people were turning into wm's lot and I was continuing another ways down the road, usually no problem.

By the grace of God I'm here writing this. An suv, probably because he thought he could beat the oncoming cars decided to pull out into the lanes to make the left turn (as I said you have to go back the way you came in, so everyone leaving always have to make left turns if they are on that side of the shopping center.

I pictured my smashed car, my husband, and what the hell was I going to do if I was injured and also had no car because of this idiot.

I slammed on the brakes and the car horn and said a few things. Eventually my car stopped I think we were only about 3 inches from impact, my tires were screeching and I mouthed to the driver, You Axxhole. The woman in the passenger seat was scared and held up her two hands as if to stay stop stop the car. The driver was grinning. Grinning. And then he took off. He couldn't wait for the light to change before he tried to cross the lanes and almost injured me or more.

I thanked God so many times today. I just am trying not to think about the near impact.

6. As I am almost on the road my house is on, I have to decide which road to take, there a several choices and I'm trying to think which will be better plowed, which has construction, etc.

So, I get to the corner where I need to turn and the big trash pickup truck has to slam on his brakes or he will hit me. I was so close to getting back to my house. The road was not well plowed and he saw that I had no where to move, so he backed up and let me out so he could turn. Thank goodness he stopped in time and then didn't try to make me move somewhere to avoid his big truck- I couldn't move to give him room and I am glad he saw that.

So, it's been a weird and wonderful day, I'm exhausted. I think trying to relay what happened isn't as riveting as it was in real life.

*TLDR: Three near car crashes and one unhinged egomaniac accosted me at Aldi. All this and more in less than 4 hours this morning. There have been close calls throughout the years, but not so many all in one time slot.

I hope you rested with a cup of tea after that! Glad you got home safe. All I can say is Wow!

 

[MACKTEXAS]

I've had days when nothing seemed to go right and I get overwhelmed, but we aren't used to much ice in Texas, and with roads like that, it would have to be a dire emergency for me to get out on the road.

 

[Mat]

Are you saying that you have a cat or 16 cats? That's a lot of meowing in the morning. haha

Actually I have only 3 brothers that were left in my kitchen by the Mother and she never returned. The rest "14" or more all are family from 3 different Grandmothers and Mothers who were abandoned when people in front moved.

I think younger people have no love for animals and they usually get pets to keep their kids happy. Moving day the poor animals are left to starve. I was familiar with 3 of those early visitors who would come over and ask for food after they were abandoned.

One cold freezing morning I opened the front door to put out food for one Mother and there were 4 little kittens following her. She started coming into the bathroom under the vanity where the plumbing was perfect for entry. The numbers continued but it has been nice to see them all grown and having life just a bit more warmer or cooler in winter and summer, plus plenty of good food 24/7.

They only have to compete with a big fat possum who just happens to love cat food. Someone who disliked cats was trying to tell me that they could find plenty of food in the wild. The last time I looked out my back window and saw a young rabbit had to be 5 years ago. There was once plenty of birds landing in the yard , those have also disappeared.

Even in early fall when the ducks and geese usually are in flight headed to warmer climate, they have been missing ... you could always hear them when in large groups hitting these local rice fields. I believe our human population may be growing very large today and we just don't see it. The animals do receive the results of over populations.

An hour ago I went into the kitchen to make coffee and was escorted by 6 or 7 little friends.. One little guy black with white toes and back feet is totally blind. I have to make extra trips back and fourth to make sure he is back in the hallway where he is safe and able to find his way around. He knows when his 3 other family members go to the front and he wants to follow. They can go out and come in any time but he would never be able to find his way back in should he fall out. He is stuck with me until one of us passes on.

 

[Mat]

I've had days when nothing seemed to go right and I get overwhelmed, but we aren't used to much ice in Texas, and with roads like that, it would have to be a dire emergency for me to get out on the road.

I was telling someone the other day about the winter of 67. I was stationed in Alvarado Tx as a Nike Hercules missile crewman. It was 30 miles to Fort Worth and slightly more to Dallas depending which way you were driving north or east. So we used an old farm rd to take a short cut to Grand Prairie and Arlington.

The farm road dead ended at the middle of both little towns and you could only turn left or right. We used the Navy Base on the right for dental , So in winter on our way back to Alvarado we had to drive thru Midlothian an old cotton town. Just as you came into the city limits you had to make a short S curve which went over a railroad track.

A heavy snow started while we were in Dallas but the highway was totally covered with about a foot of snow. The road in Midlothian was frozen and 4 of us had to exit the car and shove it around to make it straight so we could go over the railroad track. It was solid ice and very slick.

We made it back to the base with no problems because there were no cars on the road and plus we were familiar where the blacktop was watching the telephone poles. It never happened often but every once in a while it does get a lot of ice. I don't remember ever being cold while working in the pit with the missiles. I do remember there were no heaters or anything in the pit that might cause an accident.

I was going to add an image of the base but lost my win 10 on another drive so I have to move the disc to a caddy to use any files. I'll get around to adding the Nike photos to my media soon.

Here is the Flickr storage for the Nike Site as it is today. It and the San Francisco site were the only 2 intact bases after the massive shut down. All the important hardware was moved and each had it's own security force in their personal areas take over the base until it was completely empty. Our government waste a lot of money on sites that could be repurposed but they don't do it and all of a sudden property just becomes a lost spot on a map. My base already has two new homes just above the launch site where I worked. The base property will one day be gone.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/194222254@N05/

 

[Owlivia]

serious for some ?- it's a long and well held belief in the supernatural?

Oh, thanks for explaining.

 

[Owlivia]

@Owlivia - all those close calls - your guardian angels were on full alert and brought you through. Glad to hear you are OK.

Thanks! I agree, thank God his angels were busy yesterday.

 

[Owlivia]

Good God, woman, you certainly had someone watching over you.

For a split second I thought I was going to meet up with my husband and he wasn't ready for me. Thank God for divine intervention.

 

[Owlivia]

I went out to do my weekly shopping yesterday too and had one person on my tail and numerous cars darting out in front of me on the way too. I think it has to do with people having to stay home for a few days because of the snow and cold.

I go 50 mph on open winter roads, too bad. I know other people don't care about me while I'm driving so they can GTH.

I'd have ignored the guy yelling, otherwise I'd have made sure to run over him with my car and l'd be in jail now. I am not kidding. People like that get under my skin. We are all struggling one way or another. No one is that special.

I just keep to the right lane and they still want to hurry me up. I try to ignore them and hope they get fed up and move along.

When I was younger there was a very busy road outside a city and there were fights and even guns involved sometimes, all because of a crowded road and people not giving an inch and others always in the wrong lanes trying to cross over just as their exit appeared.

That was a life lesson for me. I stopped yelling at stupid moves, no longer waved inappropriately, and left safety space if I could around me and the car.

One year I drove 18,000 miles over many states. That put the pleasure of car travel way down on the list of things I wanted to do.

Some people driving cars don't realize they are driving a very heavy weapon. I was nearly hit a few times walking in these parking lots, even walking over the marked crosswalks outside walmart and others. I used my outside voice, but they just don't care.

I agree, when there is a break in the weather more people come out. We have some selfish creeps in the area that as soon as it is a tiny bit springlike, they are on their motorcycles and usually it's at 2-3am. Very selfish.

 

[Owlivia]

Drivers have sure gotten less considerate and a lot less careful of others over the years.
Do they honestly feel that safe in the newer model cars?
I refuse to let a tailgater force me to go faster than what is safe for me. There is a reason
we have "passing lanes" just wait for it.
Maybe my next vehicle will be a farm tractor so I can apply flashing lights and drive in peace.
We all have bad days, leave your attitude at the curb before you get behind the wheel.

I especially agree with your last sentence. Bad attitudes and driving can be lethal together.

When you get the tractor, please send a photo lights and all!

 

[hollydolly]

@hollydolly I knew about your car accident from last July. I wondered if you had made a full recovery or not. Wasn't sure if I should ask about it due to how much you suffered. I'm not sure that I did not hear about the Kia accident, right this moment I can't remember.. That is such rotten luck.
Keep up with all the therapy even when you may feel like not doing it sometimes. What do the drs say about your ribs not healing? Is it just time needed or is inflammation an issue? Don't answer if this is too personal.

Can you go after the people who hit you and get compensation? It doesn't seem fair that they walk away without making things right financially first and I don't know- admitting fault and apologizing. I know that won't happen but it would be great if it did.

Yes my insurance company are battling it out with her Insurance company..so far it's taken 7 months because she keeps denying she was at fault...

 

[Owlivia]

Wow, what a harrowing day out! I'm sorry to hear you had to deal with all that. I'm getting lost at one place, though... if the "three coins" he gave you were two dimes and a nickle, I'm not catching the issue. Obviously he didn't have a quarter or he would have put it in a cart of his own. So if he didn't have a quarter, he offered someone 25 cents in other coins... or do you mean they were foreign coins or something that you couldn't use

About the coins, when he dropped them in my hand I first saw two coins, and the nickel one looked like a token, not like an actual nickel and then I moved that and saw another dime.

Sometimes my inner radar goes off and it did when he appeared next to me at the trunk of my car. Too close.
No smile, kind of tense, jumpy. More radar bars.

I always give the cart when someone asks nicely and they have a quarter to give to me. That's without me asking for a quarter. Some people don't want the little hassle of dealing with unhooking the cart.

About a month ago a young Amish woman couldn't figure out how to put the coin in the slot or pull out the chain. Her people had left her and had already gone into the store with their carts. I showed her, easy.

That man yesterday was disturbed. He told me I could use the 3 coins to put in the cart the next time I come back to Aldi. He knew only 1 coin, a quarter, fits in the slot. It's not a vending machine which is fed until the total is made and the chain hookup is released.

I keep a quarter in my car, with less actual currency and coins being used these days I am not going to go into the store with his money to wait for a cashier to appear and be able to open her register give me a quarter and then go back outside to unhook a cart.

He didn't want to ask in the store, not my concern. His bad attitude and attack was unwarranted. Some people are always expecting others to do the work for them. I was polite until he blew up, and so on.

I hope that gives a fuller picture of the ACEWUM Feb 2026. Aldi Coin Experience With Unhinged Man. haha

Aldi was my fourth stop of the morning with two more stops to go. I am glad my patience carried me through
and that God spared me that awful car crash.

 

[Owlivia]

Actually I have only 3 brothers that were left in my kitchen by the Mother and she never returned. The rest "14" or more all are family from 3 different Grandmothers and Mothers who were abandoned when people in front moved.

I think younger people have no love for animals and they usually get pets to keep their kids happy. Moving day the poor animals are left to starve. I was familiar with 3 of those early visitors who would come over and ask for food after they were abandoned.

One cold freezing morning I opened the front door to put out food for one Mother and there were 4 little kittens following her. She started coming into the bathroom under the vanity where the plumbing was perfect for entry. The numbers continued but it has been nice to see them all grown and having life just a bit more warmer or cooler in winter and summer, plus plenty of good food 24/7.

They only have to compete with a big fat possum who just happens to love cat food. Someone who disliked cats was trying to tell me that they could find plenty of food in the wild. The last time I looked out my back window and saw a young rabbit had to be 5 years ago. There was once plenty of birds landing in the yard , those have also disappeared.

Even in early fall when the ducks and geese usually are in flight headed to warmer climate, they have been missing ... you could always hear them when in large groups hitting these local rice fields. I believe our human population may be growing very large today and we just don't see it. The animals do receive the results of over populations.

An hour ago I went into the kitchen to make coffee and was escorted by 6 or 7 little friends.. One little guy black with white toes and back feet is totally blind. I have to make extra trips back and fourth to make sure he is back in the hallway where he is safe and able to find his way around. He knows when his 3 other family members go to the front and he wants to follow. They can go out and come in any time but he would never be able to find his way back in should he fall out. He is stuck with me until one of us passes on.

When reading this my heart feels softer. I wish you were an artist so you could draw these scenes for us. You're being very kind to the cats.

 

[Owlivia]

Yes my insurance company are battling it out with her Insurance company..so far it's taken 7 months because she keeps denying she was at fault...

Police reports should say she was at fault and witnesses, too. Hopefully they can not keep delaying much longer. Hope this is has a good result for you soon.

 

[Owlivia]

I hope you rested with a cup of tea after that! Glad you got home safe. All I can say is Wow!

Well, after putting the purchases away and changing my clothes. I poured myself a small amount of something stronger, red wine. A did have tea hours later though.

Thanks and yes, it was a day to ponder over.

 

[911]

Working as a State Trooper, I had many dangerous situations. Just standing by the driver’s side window while speaking with the driver is dangerous. A lot of Troopers and Officers have been killed while performing their duty.

Responding to domestic situations is very dangerous. There were 3 police officers in York County, Pennsylvania killed responding to a domestic call on 9/17/2025. This happened on the same call. The shooter was killed by a State Trooper called to the scene as backup.
Officers Down

We never know what’s waiting for us on the other side of the door.

 

[Owlivia]

Working as a State Trooper, I had many dangerous situations. Just standing by the driver’s side window while speaking with the driver is dangerous. A lot of Troopers and Officers have been killed while performing their duty.

Responding to domestic situations is very dangerous. There were 3 police officers in York County, Pennsylvania killed responding to a domestic call on 9/17/2025. This happened on the same call. The shooter was killed by a State Trooper called to the scene as backup.
Officers Down

We never know what’s waiting for us on the other side of the door.

I know exactly what you are saying. Officers are in danger every day. It's tragic for them and their loved ones, wish it was not so.

 

[BJintheUK]

I just keep to the right lane and they still want to hurry me up. I try to ignore them and hope they get fed up and move along.

When I was younger there was a very busy road outside a city and there were fights and even guns involved sometimes, all because of a crowded road and people not giving an inch and others always in the wrong lanes trying to cross over just as their exit appeared.

That was a life lesson for me. I stopped yelling at stupid moves, no longer waved inappropriately, and left safety space if I could around me and the car.

One year I drove 18,000 miles over many states. That put the pleasure of car travel way down on the list of things I wanted to do.

Some people driving cars don't realize they are driving a very heavy weapon. I was nearly hit a few times walking in these parking lots, even walking over the marked crosswalks outside walmart and others. I used my outside voice, but they just don't care.

I agree, when there is a break in the weather more people come out. We have some selfish creeps in the area that as soon as it is a tiny bit springlike, they are on their motorcycles and usually it's at 2-3am. Very selfish.

Buy an old tank from gov't surplus, paint it bright dayglo orange and fit it with double sized very bright LED indicators and brake lights, then drive around as though you owned the road. In such a vehicle you do own the road, and everyone else will give way to you.

 

[Restored]

When I was taking driver's ed in high school, I remember the teacher saying "If everyone else is driving like idiots, consider that perhaps your driving is the problem". That stuck with me. Because of that, I avoid places where traffic is heavy. One of us us liable to be a problem.

 

[Owlivia]

Buy an old tank from gov't surplus, paint it bright dayglo orange and fit it with double sized very bright LED indicators and brake lights, then drive around as though you owned the road. In such a vehicle you do own the road, and everyone else will give way to you.

Like this:

Or this one:

 

[Owlivia]

When I was taking driver's ed in high school, I remember the teacher saying "If everyone else is driving like idiots, consider that perhaps your driving is the problem". That stuck with me. Because of that, I avoid places where traffic is heavy. One of us us liable to be a problem.

Good advice, but driving to work or somewhere else where it's going to be congested sometimes can't avoid the traffic backups. Some of the worst congestion is through road construction areas. That must have given me a form of ptsd after dealing with that for five long years 5 days a week.

If someone said let's go to x, I'd decline, couldn't stand being in that type of traffic slowdowns. Thankfully those types of drives are long behind me.

People driving like idiots are the world over. Can't get away from them sometimes, but won't let myself get high blood pressure from them, it's all in the perspective I suppose.