Blogging during the school day? There must be a story to tell!

I was minding my own business this morning. Driving to school, just like I always do. My cell phone rang but I didn't recognize the number. It was local so I answered it. It was the Officer Xxxxx with the (our city) Police Dept. He asked if I knew where my mother was. I thought it an odd question but he soon filled in the gaps. Her house alarm was going off. My aunt was there with him. (The alarm company had notified her.) The house appeared to be secure. Mom's car was gone. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have thought anything about that. Mom is rarely still a minute and I'd have assumed that she was out trying to beat the crowd at the early voting place... except for one small detail. The house key she has hidden for emergency use (her "emergen-key, if you will) was missing. That key is ALWAYS there. Seriously, always! That missing key brought to mind all sorts of horrible scenarios. (I was afraid someone had used her emergen-key to go in, hurt Mom, and then taken her car keys and stolen her car.) It didn't help that she wasn't answering either phone.

I drove on to school, calling her cell constantly. I couldn't find anyone else. My brother's phone was off. My sister-in-law was already at her school, which is out of cell range. I left a message with her school office but I doubt she got it before her students arrived. I got to school, threw Elvis into his classroom and asked his teacher to feed him his breakfast. All the while, I was calling Mom's cell constantly because I didn't know what else to do. I realized I was going to need a sub for the day so the teacher next door went to the office. They snagged a PTA mom who also subs and she agreed to take my wild ones for the day. I typed out some rather pitiful lesson plans as fast as I could and left, telling my students that my mom wasn't feeling well and I needed to go check on her. (OK, technically a lie but: a- you can't tell 5 year olds that you lost you mom, and b- there was the possibility that I'd have to hurt her if I found her and she was just ignoring my phone calls.)

I left school and started down the highway headed to Mom's house. I tried her cell one more time as I arrived and...she answered. She still owns the house I grew up in and rents it out. The furnace there has been giving her troubles and she was in the basement there with a repairman. Whew! I got my heart to stop pounding and went to her house to look for the emergen-key, hoping my aunt had just overlooked it. Nope, it's not there. So, while relieved that Mom is okay, there is still the matter of the missing key. If she doesn't find it this morning, she needs to have her locks changed. Bottom line is, her alarm did go off. That happened for a reason. I'm just sooo glad she's okay.

So, it's just after 9:00 AM and I have a day off. I have plenty to do but I think I'll spend the next hour or so just doing nothing. Elvis and Beth are in school. Alli and Boy Wonder are in their part of the house. I may go flop across my bed and finish the book I've been reading. After that, I've got plenty to do for the rest of the day. And, I have that teacher training tonight after school. I'll go back for that because if I miss it, they'll take another half-day of sick leave. I'd rather not burn my sick days on the little things. And, after having today off, I should be nice and relaxed for the (usually) boring meeting tonight.

And, I guess I should apologize to Beth because when I first realized a police officer was calling my this morning, my first thought was "What has that girl gotten into this early in the morning?" I don't know why I thought that. The police have never been involved with her. That was just the thought that popped into my head before he finished telling me about my mom. So....Sorry for mentally branding you a criminal, Beth! I love you!