This Could Have Ended Badly -- a wee story or "A New Home, Same as the Old Home" (Patreon)

👋 Hey hey 👋

I have a video post to put together for patrons very soon, lots to talk about and share there, but I wanted to post something for everyone real quick before that.

First, this next episode coming out (Tuesday) is the first one I'm doing all by my self 😅. Before I did everything until the sound editing and all the bells and whistles and hoops-to-jump-through and hills-to-climb that came with cleaning up the audio, adding the background music or sounds, then actually posting it.

Yesterday I recorded, then last night I worked until late and managed to get the sound and rough editing done and a couple clips/reels started. I can't tell you how scary and thrilling it is working with sound editing software and a DAW (digital audio workstation). So, so, fancy. I have no illusions that I'll be as good as Richard, but I'm hustling and it's hugely gratifying and a wee bit empowering to be able to tackle these techy things that I've been basically allergic to my whole life. The key for me is to slow down and not panic. If I screw it all up, walk away, do something else, come back later. Hopefully, that philosophy will hold🤞.

Anyway, that's what I've been doing.

But I wanted to tell you a short story that could have ended tragically, but did not. Also a little funny.

I ordered a couple things I desparately needed for the house that were to be delivered. I checked and it said they were out for delivery. Then that evening it said they were sent back to the pick up place and were waiting for me to get them. The delivery people didn't leave their usual notice saying I'd missed them and who to call. Anyway, I was home all day. No phone number. No address. No way to contact anyone. Not even a reason given for why they were taken back AND I was only given two days to pick them up or they'd be returned to sender.

Now. I don't get mad easily. But I spent over and hour trying to figure out what was going on, navigate the crappy website. I'd had something delivered a couple times before that and there was no problem. This time it almost felt personal. But I didn't even have anyone to complain to.

So I look at the company that was to deliver the "whatever I desperately needed". Black Cat. Kuro Neko. Okay, I'll just drive to the nearest one and ask. It was pouring rain, no problem. Nice actually, we need rain. So I drive across town, get out, go in, notice they totally changed the office from last time I was there (sending suitcases to Haneda). Wow! I see some young guy, stop him, tell him my woes, very emotionally I might add. Not angrily, woefully. Poor, poor me.

He was so nice, listened to my whole spiel, then says: I think you want the next building over and points.

Oh.

Yeah. I was so flummoxed, I turned into the wrong parking lot.

Ha.

If you want something to take the sting out of your anger...a good does of embarrassment will do that!

So I apologize, laugh, cry a little, go to the REAL Kuro Neko. I couldn't really be mad and the lady was super nice and very confused about what happened and why, but she had the package. Even though she said I was at the wrong place and the package was elsewhere. Weird.

I needed to pick up something from the house so I drive even more across town. When I get out of the car and shut the door I see the snail.

Little buddy had been riding with me the whole trip from the house, across town, to the the Kuro Neko distributer, even farther across town to the old house and was just looking a little confused.

Hey, little buddy.

So, he's kinda cool and look would great in Obaachan's garden. I mean that's literally where he came from. Well, he came from the back part that is all gravel and rocks. The front part has real little trees and greenery.

It's a plan!

So I search the car, find a tin I was going to recycle, and then look around. There's no such thing as grass in Japan, but I did see some kicked up moss (I LOVED the moss at that old place so much. R kept saying he wanted to power wash it all off, NO!!). Anyway, it was already loose, so I snagged some of those and made the snail a safe little home for a bit. Surely he won't go far. He's a SNAIL.

Then I learned snails aren't slow at all. They're actually really, really fast. I had to go to the supermarket because no food in the house and that was again farther from home. Okay, we can do this little buddy. You and I. Just, stay on the nice wet, mossy parts, run in circle if you have to.

Okay, he said. I can do that.

But even before I made it to the store he was stretching for higher ground. Do snails always look for higher ground? I need to look that up. It seems so. I had to move him back several times at stoplights.

You, promised, little buddy. Nothing good lies beyond this box.

Now, I get to the supermarket and I look at my list. I gotta make this fast. But it's big. No, that's okay. I can do this. How far can the snail go while I'm gone? And then I have images of him disappearing and dying tragically under a seat and dried up and dirty and I hate myself forever.

I reiterate that I need him to stay in the box and I dash.

I think I'm pretty fast. But when I get back, little buddy is half way up the seat. I gently put him back and we manage to make it home.

I should have taken that last photo. Ha! Of him free on the genkan entranceway, the moss placed neatly on various rocks (I hope it takes!), the rain falling gently all over everything.

It was an emotional moment for both of us.

Okay, I hope you are all safe and well, and I'm going to do that catching up video on the house and the goings on around here for patrons in the next couple days. It's the last minute crunch for the podcast and I'm going to ask R if he can help me do more of the backend stuff. Wish me luck! So that and trying to (speaking of catching up) catch up on the stories for the new book. Not a lot of cleaning is happening at the moment. Erg. XOXO,

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