Two Reeses past my limit

The evidence...

When you become restless at work on a Friday afternoon (2:30 p.m. to be exact), you end up raiding the candy drawer. And dearest Trish has an endless supply of treats in her secret drawer. 

Soon I was two mini-Reeses and one mini-3 Muskateers past my limit. And throw in there a Quaker Dipps Caramel Nut bar and it's like OVERLOAD. Now I'm chugging water trying to balance out my sugary system attack. 

I guess the need for sugar came from my inability to pack myself a good lunch today. Instead of a sandwich or something leftover from dinner, I had a baggy with oatmeal to microwave and some yogurt. Yuk. I took one look at the plain, boring oatmeal after it spun in the microwave for two minutes and lost my appetite. The yogurt and banana held me over for a good two hours...

So, cheers to Friday. Cheers to the weekend. I don't have any specific plans except fixing a bad idea (spray painting new found tabletop turquoise) into something great. I am also still on the hunt for four chairs to accompany this new masterpiece of art. 

[Back in time...]

I was bored one day and started doing archive searches on the Jackson County Chronicle website. I found this column that I wrote. I only wrote about five columns while I was there. They were my 'deep thoughts.' LOL.

Deep thoughts by Michelle: Grandma, are you reading this?

What's the first thing you do when you get into your car?

I buckle up.

I don't even think about it. It just happens.

And because of that, I expect everyone else riding with me to just automatically buckle up. Though, most times if I'm driving with more than one person with me, I'll say it aloud, "Everybody got their seatbelts on?"

"Yes," they say - except for grandma.

My dear sweet grandma, Carol Bonita Smith to be exact, refuses to wear her seatbelt. She says the strap itches at her neck and she doesn't like when it locks up on her.

"It chokes me," she says.

And 99.9 percent of the time grandma gets the front seat.

And just for me grandma would wear her seatbelt. At first I would 'politely' ask her to strap in.

She'd say, "Oh just drive it's not that far."

I'd then turn to her and very dramatically say, "Grandma, if you go flying through that windshield because you weren't wearing your seatbelt, I will not go to jail for you. I will not be charged with vehicular homicide. I am young and have the best years of my life ahead of me."

The seatbelt went on. I think 'vehicular homicide' always did the trick.

In my teens I was happy to drive grandma around. We'd go to Shopko, the mall or the pharmacy. And we always got a front row spot because grandma had the magic ticket - her handicapped pass that hung proud on the rear view mirror.

But I know that with other people, she doesn't wear her seatbelt.

What most people would say is to let her make that choice. She's the one that will get hurt if there is a car accident. She makes that choice.

But now a new law makes it the driver's responsibility to ensure that their passengers are buckled up.

A provision in Wisconsin Act 106 (the booster seat law) became effective June 1.

Previously drivers were responsible for unbuckled passengers only if they were 15 years old or younger. The new provision has changed that to include a person older than 15 which includes my seatbelt-stubborn grandma.

I, and you, will have to pay $10 for each unbuckled passenger.

Grandma, are you reading this?

According to the state patrol, "the new law will help increase compliance with the safety belt law, especially among young drivers and passengers who are the least likely to buckle up."

What I ask is why can't you give them a ticket? Am I supposed to kick my grandma out of the car or hold her down while trying to strap her in?

Yeah, I don't think so.

Grandma's going to pay the ticket, not me.

Grandma, are you reading this?

State Patrol Captain Ruth Ferg of the Southwest Region DeForest Post said the goal is to not write more safety belt tickets.

"It is to reduce the number of grieving families and friends who lost a loved one because a safety belt was not used," Ferg said.

Grandma, are you reading this?

(Jackson County Chronicle/ June 15, 2006)