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Location: Clearwater, South Carolina, United States

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

the crash

The year was circa 1965 and the Spice and I had been in our first little house for somewhat over a year. This frame building was a VA repossession and a total wreck when we first saw it, a fixer-upper that had hardly anything going for it except a sound structure and a new roof. My older brother helped me get the inside in livable shape and I finished the outside over the next year or so.

We had splurged and bought a new bedroom suite not long before this time frame – from a member of the Spice’s family that had a large furniture store down in Warner Robins, GA. The suite was French provincial in style and consisted of the usual chest of drawers, dresser, nightstand and bed with footboard and full headboard.

The house was really looking good on the inside, with the proper curtains, decorations and pictures on the walls as per how the Spice desired it to be. The Spice’s family was in the carpet business, so we had carpet in both of the bedrooms as well as the living and dining rooms.

It was in the wee hours of the morning and the Spice and I were both very sound asleep when suddenly there was a loud crash that sounded very close, even like it was in the room with us. Our home protection at the time was me and a Colt single action 22 cal. pistol – it was soon in my hand and I was slowly searching the house, under or behind anything that a person or thing might hide.

The search was fruitless and all the doors and windows were found to be still tightly shut and locked. With the mystery unsolved and the adrenalin still pumping through the veins, it took a while to settle back down to be able to get to sleep. Next morning we still wondered what the loud noise was and looked around some more with no conclusion.

It was a week or so later that we noticed that the picture previously hanging over the headboard was missing. It was found, hidden from sight, on the floor behind the headboard – we instantly realized that this had been the crash that had caused our middle of the night alarm and consternation.

This little adventure caused two things to happen – one, for almost forty years after that there was nothing hanging over the headboard of our bed – we still have the same bed. And two, this caused my husbandly hanging duties to improve in the area of the strength of the fastener – I don’t think anything has fallen of it’s own weight since – a few have been knocked off accidentally.

Only about a year ago was the Spice able to convince me to hang another picture on the wall over the head of our bed. This one was hung in a manner that assures it will be there unless some catastrophic event occurs, i.e. earthquake, plane crash, buffalo stampede, a herd (or flock) of turkeys flying through, etc.

What kind of picture was it? A beautiful one depicting what an angel might look like. It does not represent implied protection of any kind, although God’s protection is always at hand, but this comes from and through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. ec

6 Comments:

Blogger Anvilcloud said...

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!

9/13/2006 10:11:00 PM  
Blogger Jenny said...

I won't hang anything above my bed either. ;-)

9/13/2006 10:53:00 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Reminds me of when I was in college and living in a fraternity house. I was stupid enough to hang an unsheathed machete on the wall above the head of my bed. Thankfully, when the machete fell, I wasn’t in bed.

9/13/2006 11:58:00 PM  
Blogger mreddie said...

AC - Amen - it was quite the challenge for this young husband to jump and defend his household - from what he knew not of.

jayleigh - From my narrative you see that it took the Spice quite a while to talk me into doing it again.

SSN - If you had been, you could have been considered a real cut-up - in the physical sense. :) ec

9/14/2006 12:35:00 AM  
Blogger Granny said...

After 25 years off and on of living in the city famous for earthquakes, I've learned to hang nothing over the bed.

One picture crashing down and missing us by inches was quite enough.

Thanks for your comment on granny. I took yesterday off completely and today seems to be better.

9/14/2006 09:15:00 AM  
Blogger mreddie said...

granny - An off day will usually do us a world of good - glad you got to take one. ec

9/14/2006 09:34:00 AM  

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