The Trip Home From Hell

The Trip Home From Hell

David, Greg & I flew back home together from Randall and Laura Lee's wedding (Oct. 3, 1993)


Murphey never sleeps! Our itenery was:
1) Denver to Salt Lake City with 1 hour 40 minutes layover at SLC
2) Salt Lake City to Portland with 30 minutes layover at Portland
3) Portland to Eugene

The first flight went without a hitch - in fact we were early. so, we got to sit around and watch planes take off.

Then we boarded plane #2. Time to take off - nothing happened. Then people in coveralls went into the cockpit. Then the captain told us that they had a faulty light which had to be checked. Time passed. Then the captain told us that they had a short in a battery and had to power down the plane and change it. They did, then they had to reprogram the navigation. Forty minutes late, we took off.

Did you notice that we only had 30 minutes between planes 2 & 3 - so did we!!! Then the captain told us that he was going to fly as fast as he could to make up some of the lost time. He made up about 15 minutes. Because I tend to be a Nervous Nelly, I kept looking at my watch. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore and signaled for a flight attendant. She asked me what she could do for me and I explained to her about our connecting flight. She took our flight information and then walked the down aisle to find out if anyone else had a connecting flight to Eugene. About eight of us did. The rest of the passengers were destined for Portland.

We landed at Portland and they asked everyone to please remain seated, so that they could get us off the plane (as soon as a plane lands, everyone jams the aisles looking for all their carry-ons in the overhead. So, no one can get off until everyone in front does). They got about 8 people off the plane and ran us across the airport (of course, our plane was on the other side of the airport - did you think it would be nearby!!!). No problem, in fact the plane remained there a few minutes after we boarded before taking off. Later we figured out that this was so they could load our luggage.

Well, 3 of our 4 suitcases made it. My orange suitcase wasn't on the conveyor. So, I headed across the airport to make a lost luggage claim along with another woman who was on our flight. Naturally, I forgot to remove the claim tickets from the three bags we did get - so that I would know which ticket belonged to the orange suitcase.

This was around 10:30 am and they told us that the next flight was at 8:40 PM. I told them "No way am I staying in Eugene until then."

The man at the desk made out a claim form and told me that "If it's determined that it was our (the airline's) fault, we'll get the suitcase to you - no charge."

(Like it was my fault they had to change a battery!!!)

So, I walked back to where Dave and Greg were waiting with the three suitcases - checked the tags to find out which one belonged to my suitcase (the one good thing - it was my ORANGE suitcase. That was all I had to write for identification on the claim form. How many orange suitcases are out there?) and walked back to the lost luggage desk to give the claim # to the man.

We loaded the car and headed home. On Beltline (the busiest road through Eugene) the car sputtered and died. "Something must be wrong with the car 'cause we still have 1/4 tank of gas." Great - so now we'll have to be towed to a garage?"

We got out of the car and the guys opened the hood - it's fuel injected so they couldn't even check to see if it was out of gas. Dave told Greg to try to start the car. He did. Sputter, sputter, choke and die. So, we decided to lock up and walk for help. Doors slam, and lock, and I said to Greg "Would you get my purse out of the trunk. My money is in it and we'll probably need some." He patted his pockets, looked in the car, and guess what?! He locked the keys in the car! Can anything else go wrong? We're on the busiest street in Eugene, a cop has to come by any minute, right? Ha! Ha! (Do I sound bitter?)

Dave decided to walk to a pay phone to call one of Kathy's sons for help (he lives in Springfield). He couldn't remember their number, but would look it up at the phone. No phone book. So, he walked to the next phone. Called and left a message. The guys were out but she'd have them come help us when they got back. Dave walked back to us (about 1 hour and 45 minutes have gone by). We stand around the car laughing and talking. Dave says that he thought about calling the police - they could open the doors for us and would give us a gallon of gas - but he couldn't find their number in the phone book. And he knew they wouldn't like it if he called 911 "could you bring us a slim jim and some gas." Sure buddy. So, we decided that I could always have a heart attack, then we could call 911 "my sister's having a heart attack. Could you please send an ambulance, a slim jim and some gas."

Did I mention that Greg didn't put on the parking brake and that the car was in neutral when it was locked up? Greg and Dave sat on the hood of the car. I started to lean back on the hood and the car rolled down the street. Greg jumped off and ran to the rear to stop it. Just what we need: "Oh, Mom, Jamie wrecked your car on Beltline. She pushed it into traffic when we ran out of gas."

Fortunately the road was straight and it stayed on the shoulder. We decided it was a good excuse to call 911: "My brother was run over when he tried to stop the car. Please send an ambulance, a slim jim, and a can of gas."

All this silliness helped pass the time until the guys arrived with a coat hanger. It only took 23 minutes to get the door open. But, they couldn't bring us any gas 'cause they didn't have a gas can (in Oregon you can only get gas if you have an official gas can - you can't use a Clorox bottle or something handy). So, Dave gave them some money and they went to find a store that sold gas cans. Some time later they came back, poured the gas into the car and it started right up. So, we really were out of gas - at least we wouldn't have to get the car fixed at a garage. Mom's gas gauge didn't work right - or had quit working.

All of this took about 3 hours and we saw not one cop the entire time. Until we got in the car and started home. Then we saw one.

Only two people stopped to ask if we needed help (of course, our hood wasn't up since you have to unlatch it from the inside, and we couldn't get inside since the doors were locked).

A girl (19 - 20 years old) driving a red car, stopped to ask if we needed help. She had driven past us, then saw Dave walking, felt guilty, so she got off Beltline, turned around, drove past us on the other side of the divider, found a place to get off and turn abound again so that she would be on our side of the road (it's a divided highway with on-ramps and off-ramps). Bless her heart. I told her the problem and she offered to try to catch Dave and drive him wherever he needed to go for help.

She caught up to him at the first pay phone, and he thanked her for her trouble and sent her on her way, since he'd just arrived at a pay phone. 'Course after she left he discovered that it didn't have a phonebook!!!

Then a guy in a red Broncho-type rig stopped and said that he had some gas. I told him that it wouldn't do us any good unless he could pick our lock. He had a slim jim at home, which didn't help us!! So, we thanked him and sent him on his way (if we'd had any brains we'd have accepted the gas!!!)

Then Dave's boys showed up in a red car. Must be a good color. Or good people drive red cars, or something. No one else stopped - and no cops!!!!
The rest of the trip home was boring and uneventful.

That night a woman called from the airline and asked if I needed my bag right away. I told her "No." So she said that she'd have it sent out the next day (Monday). I figured UPS.

Early Monday morning at some horrible hour of the day, the phone rang. It was a man calling from the airline and wanting directions to our house. I said "you're going to have someone drive from Eugene to Reedsport?"

"Yes" So, I tried to give him directions. I realized that it was hopeless when he asked "Where is Reedsport?" I ended up having them UPS it.

I figured they'd slap a label on my suitcase, and when our UPS guy came walking down the steps with a suitcase in his hand, I planned to say "Is this just a visit, or are you moving it?"

Wouldn't you know, they put it in a box. Spoiled my joke!!!

Fire Story

Jamie's Fire Story - January 9, 1991

This is a copy of a letter I wrote to Elaine just after the fire:

Dear Elaine,

How are you? We're both fine - I suppose Mom has told you about our excitement - when the house almost burned!!! It was touch and go for awhile.

Wednesday morning (January 9, 1991) at 8 am, Don got up, lit the fire in the living-room stove, turned on KXL (all news radio), and came back to bed to wait for the house to warm up a little. (Later) the announcer said that it was 8:34 and I turned to Don and said that something smelled BAD.

So, he went out to check the stove, and the next thing I knew he was tearing the metal plates off the wall behind the stove and throwing things around. He ran into the kitchen and filled a pot with water and told me to fill pans, which I did. He poured the water into the wall behind the wood-stove, extinguishing the fire.

He ran into the bedroom and put on his clothes and shoes. I was still in the living room and looked up through the skylight and the entire roof (in that area) was on fire and the skylight was burning. So, I started screaming, "The skylight's on fire get the hose!"

Don ran outside, got the hose, and turned it on, got the ladder and climbed onto the roof, and sprayed water all over the place. He was a hero. He burned and cut his hand tearing up hot metal either on the roof or earlier in the living room, or both. He was blistered later. He was up on the roof in all that poisonous smoke and heat not knowing if he'd be able to get off the roof if the fire wasn't put out.

Of course, I was doing important things too: Jumping up and down, wringing my hands, and yelling, "The skylight's on fire. The skylight's on fire!" (Just in case he hadn't noticed, ya know!) And other brilliant observations. I did un-kink the hose and move it for him when he told me to.

At some point I realized that I was running around on gravel in P.J.'s and bare-feet. So, I went into the house to get my boots and robe on. I also checked the attic to see if it was OK - lots of smoke - no obvious fire. The house was OK too - just smoke.

I went back outside. By this time the fire had spread to the shingles on the side of the house and under the gutter on the main house (our bedroom wall). Don couldn't see the fire from where he was on the living-room roof - so, I was telling him where to spray.

And at this point - for some reason - I decided to go back and check inside the house (we both feel that our guardian angel must have tapped me on the shoulder - 2 or 3 minutes later and it would have been out of control.

The fire had exploded through the living-room ceiling where it attaches to the main house (main burn). Don's tapestry from Japan had burned and fallen behind and over the couch. That was burning. Hot coals were all over the couch and rug. Another smaller fire had burned through the ceiling over the wood stove. The main burn was burning like a blow-torch. A picture on the wall by the kitchen door - 10' away from the fire - melted and buckled.

I ran into the kitchen and pulled the fire extinguisher off the wall (breaking the plastic strap holding it!), ran into the living room, read the directions, pulled the pin, and couldn't get it to work. Threw it down, ran outside, yelled that the living room was on fire, pulled the hose away from Don, ran back into the house. Sprayed water on the flames and coals at ground level, then climbed onto the back of the couch and started pouring water into the main burn. At this point I figured we were going to lose everything.

Don climbed down from the roof and ran in, saw me standing on the back of the couch spraying water into the inferno, and he also thought that everything was lost.

But, we got it put out. I'm still not sure how. Don climbed up into the attic - all smoke/little oxygen, and crawled to the far end (by the living-room) to make sure the fire hadn't burned through the wall. There wasn't any fire or hot spots on the wall. I was afraid he would pass out, but he made it back down -lots of coughing and choking.

It was 9:45 am. Probably the shortest hour of my life!!!!

We'll have to replace the roof and ceiling and the wall behind the wood-stove. Maybe some rafters. But, other that, damage was minimal.

The carpet is ruined, but I was planning on getting rid of it and the one in our bedroom this summer (bare floors are easier on allergies). So, that's no loss. The afghans and cover on the couch were scorched and wet, but the couch is OK - 2 small damp spots and one small scorched spot.

The VCR, TV and stereo speakers were right under and to both sides of the main burn, and are unharmed!!! The speaker wires were burned through and will have to be replaced. The cover I made for the VCR is burned and was wet, but no water in the VCR or TV. The speakers were damp but they dried out.

Because the roof burned first, (the aluminum roofing melted!!) the smoke and steam from all the water must have all gone outside. We expected way more smoke and water damage. The skylight is ruined. Don put a couple of lines up in the kitchen so I can dry wet books and magazines.

We were really lucky. Murphy was hog-tied that day!!! Or busy giving someone else the shaft. Everything went right. Even the fire extinguisher not working was right. Don pulled the trigger later to find out what was wrong with it - and it worked for him - but I couldn't breathe - I had to run outside and cough and choke for awhile. If it had choked me earlier, I couldn't have wet things down so fast!!! And the fire probably would have been out of control before Don managed to get down from the roof.

We spent the rest of the day going around feeling the walls to make sure there was no fire lurking in any of them. We just couldn't believe that it was over and the house wasn't a smoking pile of rubble!!!

We've closed off the living-room and are living in the main house until we can fix things this spring. Don put a tarp over the roof to keep the rain out.

That's all the news from here. What's going on at your place??

Love, Jamie

Note: That was the Siberian Express winter. Our water was frozen for most of two weeks. We had to haul water in buckets from our spring. But, right in the middle of this cold time was a couple days of thaw and we had water - that's when the fire happened. Two days either way, and we would have had no water to put it out.

Is Gun Control the Answer?

Is Gun Control the Answer?

To: "purehumour"
Subject: [PureHumour © ] Gun Control...??? Part 1 of 3
From: "Paul Croft"

Hello all....

This is NOT your regular issue of Purehumour...this is instead YOUR voices on a sensitive issue.  My opinions are not expressed in the letters below....they were all sent to me in response to the comments that I made on Wednesday March 1, 2000 regarding the school shooting of a six-year old girl by a six-year old classmate.  I must have hit a nerve because so many of you took the time to write and voice your opinions!  The overwhelming consensus...in my opinion...is that the problem will NOT be solved by gun control...PARENTS need to take control again instead!  The full names have been removed from all the emails...but they are on file if anyone disputes any of the comments.  If your email was published here without your consent...I apologize to you in advance...but if we can save the life of just ONE child with these words...then we have all accomplished something.  Please feel free to forward this to whomever you feel would like to read it...send it to your congressman (woman)...send it to the President....or just send it to your address book.

Also before I am challenged on this issue...let me plainly state that I am a Canadian and therefore have only a passing interest in American politics...I have NO hidden agenda...my only concern, and the reason for publishing this special edition, is for OUR children.  Please do not take any of this as an endorsement of any political party and/or any political group in the US!

On another note...I never realized how big this project would become...you obviously have feelings that you want to get out to the world....to the people who have no opinion on this subject...and wish it would go away...please just delete these emails NOW...to the rest of you...please read and learn from what our fellow WORLD citizens are saying!       --Paul

I (Paul) said:

Some things in this world just don't make sense...when a six year old child has access to a gun...and then uses that gun to kill a classmate in school...there is something seriously wrong!  When we wake up and realize that we must do something to stop these kids from getting guns...when will they realize that there is a better way to deal with their problems....it was bad enough when these shootings occurred in high schools...but when it graduates into a kindergarten class....what is next?  Responses to the comments that I made on Wednesday March 1, 2000 regarding the school shooting of a six-year old girl by a six-year old classmate.

YOU (the readers) said:

 I am a citizen of the USA.  This country has a lot of problems and one of the consequences of our problems is all the violence in our schools.  What do I think causes this violence?

Taxes take such a large percentage of our income that most mothers have to work whether they want to or not.  Argue women's lib all you want - there's nothing as beneficial to a child as having his/her mother available after school to monitor his activities.  Make that a sober/drug-free mother in light of the recent news reports on the latest shooting.

TV violence that teaches children to punch, stab, shoot or blow-up anyone who gets in your way or pisses you off.  You say violence on TV or in the movies doesn't affect the children who watch 100's of hours of it every week?  Tell that to the advertisers who pay millions of dollars every year to get you to watch a few minutes of commercial touting their products.

Music videos and CD's that preach and glorify violence.  If our children spend thousand of hours with a CD booming hate and violence into their ears - can we expect them to be loving and peaceful?  If they listen to music that preaches the glory of killing cops and raping virgins - can we expect our children to respect authority and treat women gently.  Can we expect our daughters to become kind and nurturing if that is what they listen to during most of their waking hours?

Schools that have not only banned the 10 commandments and prayer - but are actually now teaching our children that there are no moral absolutes.

I have a small shop in a small town.  Do you want to know how much inventory is stolen every year?  I'm in my mid-forties.  When I was growing up it was still considered a crime to steal - and a shameful thing to be caught shoplifting.  Now we have schools teaching our kids that maybe it's not really wrong to steal if you really NEED something.  Excuse me.  There's not one item in my shop that ANYONE needs. Wants - yes.  Can't live without - not hardly.

When I was growing up we all knew that actions had consequences.  Pay attention in school, do your homework, study for the exam and you get good grades.  Goof off and you fail and get held back a grade.  Now everyone passes.  There can't be any grades and no one can be wrong because that is bad for self-esteem.  Our schools can't teach our children how to read, write, or do math - but boy do those kids have healthy self- esteem!!

I see the product of today's culture and school system walking past my shop all the time.  They look terrible, speak poor English, swear to make a sailor blush (and the girls are worse than the boys), have no respect for authority, and have poor self-control.  But, they do have marvelous self-esteem!!!  And, yes, I am aware that every "older generation" has looked down on every "younger generation" from the beginning of time.

Then there are other kids who are growing up with good morals, good work habits, respect for authority, they speak properly and are a joy to be around.  Some of them are being educated in public schools - but most of them are being home schooled.  They also have parents who are involved in their lives.  And they belong to a church (it doesn't matter which religion) and are getting a good moral grounding.  They work to earn the things they want.

Does this mean that every child who goes to public school, has only one parent or two working parents, doesn't attend church, is given too much money to spend without having to earn it, or has no money at all, and has very little supervision will turn out to be foul-mouthed, dishonest, criminal, lazy, and violent?

No, of course not.  Some of the best people have come from horrible conditions and have been able to rise above them.  But, they were a minority.

Does this mean that every child who comes from a two-parent home where the mother doesn't work, attends church every week, and has a perfect up-bringing will become a model citizen No, of course not.  Some of the worst people have come from the best conditions.

But, if we have 14-years -olds having babies.  If the government awards girls for getting pregnant without being married by paying them a monthly "allowance." If we have a government that taxes married couples higher than singles who live together.  If we have schools that teach our children that there are no moral absolutes.  If we have schools that are teaching our children that actions have no consequences.  If we have mis-leaders in the highest positions of authority who "get away with it." And if we have children who spend 100's of hours watching TV shows and music videos full of mindless violence.

Why are we surprised when one child brings a gun to school and kills another child?   -Jamie