Something to Laugh About

Rick is working "clean up" now, and from what we can tell, he is one of few if not the only adjuster in this area working for his company taking care of "cleaning up" wind claims. Unlike his original claims which where were all located in the same zip code, these claims are scattered all the way from the San Diego area to the Los Angeles/San Bernadino area. So Saturday we spent most of the day driving through the mountains northeast of San Diego.

We saw a lot of burned area. I was intrigued by the selective nature of the fires -- low growing vegetation gone but trees only scorched, everything gone except for the boulders and they were black, one area left untouched inside a ring of blackened earth and ash. Mostly I was impressed by the obvious work of the firefighters. Though homes were lost to the flames, many homes were unharmed because of the efforts of those brave folks who fought the fires. Hand painted signs hung on fences expressed the gratitude of the residents living in the area. In the midst of this catastrophic event, there is reason to give thanks.

The day was pleasant, the drive was long and filled with hundreds of hairpin curves, and God provided some tickling of my funny bone alone the way. When one insured found out that we have legal residence in Texas but travel about the country living in an RV, he instantly assumed that we were semi-retired and just doing this work for the fun of it. If only he knew... Climbing ladders, walking around on roofs, making phone calls, working through mountains of paperwork, going to meetings, fifteen hour work days, being away from family on holidays -- if that is semi-retirement, may we continue to work! It would be easier. This poor man wanted to know how we "got into" insurance adjusting because he was looking for a way he also could be semi-retired and still make some money. I laughed at his innocent ignorance.

My second belly laugh for the day came when we stopped for fuel. This the Mini __rt where we stopped.

This is what we had to pay for fuel.

I went inside for a "rest stop" while Rick pumped the diesel. I looked around, saw no restroom sign, so I asked the clerk if the place had a restroom. With a look and a tone that said, "Lady, are you blind or just stupid," he replied, "Yes we do. Three of them." Then he pointed out the window.

I don't know why I found this so funny, but there sat three little green huts on the corner. I hoped one would be marked Ladies, one Gentlemen, and the third... maybe Confused? But no such luck. You just had to take your chances if you needed to go bad enough. That's the first time I had seen such "conveniences" at a corner convenient store.

After the stop and a few more miles down the road, we passed a sign that almost made me hysterical. Keep in mind that the hills were covered with sage, yucca, prickly pear, cactus, scrub cedars, and sand. Tons and tons of very dry sand. The sign I found so funny marked a road that apparently led to a naval training area. Now I might be confused, but I thought the Navy was all about anchors away, submarines, and the sea. We both found it funny that the Navy would have a training area in the middle of the desert. If anyone can tell me why this is true, please let me know. We laughed at the absurdity of the thought.

Misconceptions, portable toilets, and highway signs are not usually that funny. I thank the good Lord that he brought laughter to our lives and joy to our hearts.