Hot, Humid . . . and Lonely

How does lonely keep slipping in there?

I flew to Pittsburgh on Thursday and arrived at Tyler and Jaci's around 8:00. Friday I ran to look at a few houses with my realtor here and encouraged Tyler and Jaci to leave on Friday rather than Saturday for their vacation. I mean, the whole point of my trip up here this week was to babysit while they vacationed. So they should take advantage of my being here and go-go-go.

We drove up around Niles, OH, on Friday afternoon to put their names on my Hertz contract and they took my Hertz car with the GPS for their trip. I'm driving their minivan and just looking like an aged soccer mom.

Yesterday (Saturday) the babies and I went to the Cleveland Zoo, where we met up with my Tucson Symphony friend Ashley Smith, who now works for Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. It was wonderful to see her again, and she was very patient with my grandchildren, especially Boston who gets so interested in what he's observing that he can't even hear his name being called.

I attempted to use my ATM card from Bank of America to get lunch at the zoo, but the transaction was refused. I had spoken with BA on Friday afternoon when they noticed a few questionable transactions, but we agreed all was okay, I was travelling, and out-of-state transactions would be expected and approved.

This morning I wanted to take the babies to Wagon Trails Animal Park which only takes cash. So I drove through a Chase Bank (no BA in this part of the world) to get enough cash to let us on the safari ride. Again the transaction was refused. I was livid. I pulled over to a shady spot in the Chase parking lot to get on the phone with BA. After screaming at the automated phone-hell system, I finally got through to the risk management department and explained I was on vacation. The CSR said, "Oh, you're in Canada?" Umm, no. I'm in Ohio. Seems someone lifted my card number, made a $1 purchase online at Sears/K-Mart and then a $700 purchase at EBToys and a purchase at McAfee. Okay, I take back every nasty thought I had about Bank of America.

Here's the weird thing. I never use that card online. It's my checkcard, and I only use it at ATMs or McDonald's, Wendy's and the like. I can't imagine how someone lifted the number. But they did, and for once I appreciate the hyper-vigilance of the fraud prevention department.

Okay, back to the title of this post. I'm having a hard time with the humidity. Tyler and Jaci's house doesn't have air conditioning, as you would expect for a house built in 1927 or thereabouts. Let me make sure we're clear on one thing: air conditioning was an absolutely brilliant invention. Hurray for whoever invented air conditioning. Ty and Jaci and I have decided that the house I buy up here must have air conditioning.

I looked at a house on Friday that is across the street and a few doors north. It's fabulous — the old Wick mansion. Built around 1927 and just oozing charm.

Ty and Jaci's next-door neighbors, John and Sherry, invited me for dinner tonight, thinking I'd be ravenous for adult conversation. We were talking about the various houses I've reviewed, and John said, "Oh, I used to live in that house."

What I'm finding that I love is either very old or very contemporary. And being adorned with a deck or patio. I want to be outside, curled in a comfortable wooden chair, with a book and a cup of tea or glass of wine. Actually, even with the heat and humidity, it's not bad outside in the shade.

So that's the hot and the humid. But the lonely? I think my phone has only rung once since I arrived. And that was just an acquaintance seeking information to further his own station in life. Not someone who cares about me asking how the visit is going or what houses I've seen or if I'm happy to be here. I am happy to be here. But I miss having someone who cares, who is concerned, who misses me.