September 23, 2023- The cylindrical tent tether fell over, and landed on my right big toe. Nothing was broken-not even my sense of pride, but the toe will be bruised and sore for a few days. This is one of the risks one takes, when working breakdown at an outdoor event that involves such equipment. Open air tents need tethers and the tethers most commonly used are steel cylinders, filled with cement. Most of the time, we cand n place the tethers in rows of three, inside our Farmers Market shipping container, and they will stand up straight. As the cement base wears out, though, care needs to be taken to prop up the device. In this case, better attention will be paid by yours truly, going forward.

This brings up the whole issue of getting too comfortable in our routine activities. The prime example is the number of auto accidents that occur in people’s neighbourhoods, or in nearby business parking lots. I have had one of my vehicles hit by someone who was “only wanting to just pick up my kid and get out of this lot!” The high school students who witnessed the event (back in 2018) were less than impressed. I can only imagine the embarrassment of the teen in question. My Elantra was only slightly dented-in that instance. It would end up in far worse shape, when hit a year later by another person who “was on a tight schedule”. I got another vehicle, rather quickly. He, on the other hand, was arrested for excessive speed.

We can, in an uncertain world, take nothing for granted. I was able, though, to walk without pain, complete my volunteer shift and go on to enjoy a couple of concerts at Raven Cafe, this evening. There was no bouncing and dancing, though. Discretion…….