SK

I like Saskatchewan but not today. And not the day 'it' happened.

Not quite a year ago I replaced our windshield in our 1990 Honda Accord EXR (the EXR only means something to people who have owned or are otherwise well versed in Accords). A stone chipped the windshield 2 Christmases ago when we were on our way to Saskatchewan. Mackenzie bumped his head on the windshield while playing in the front seat and sent cracks flying out in all directions from that chip. So we replaced it.

This August, we headed to Saskatchewan for the first time since the new windshield. I was nervous we'd have a head on collision with a flying stone. I was especially nervous navigating the gravel roads (very few of those here in BC) so I would slow for oncoming traffic. After a week or more in Saskatchewan, I finally eased up and forgot about it. Yeah, you know where this is going . . .

On the way to the farm from Swift Current, down Highway 43, I passed a semi with two grain trailers and an airborne stone following close behind. The semi stayed on the appropriate course down the road but the stone did not. It decided to head my direction, but not for long because once it collided into the center of my windshield, it decided to go somewhere I couldn't see because my gaze was frozen on the sight of the one and a half in spider crack it left behind. I hate Saskatchewan.

We left for home shortly after this incident. I thought I would check in Swift Current for a place that could fix it. Turns out that it takes about an hour and we wanted to get going to meet friends in Calgary that night.

Well, I thought of doing it in Calgary but wanted to get home. Then I thought I'd get it done at home and then wanted to go to bed. Then I thought of doing it the next day but our car died on us. I thought thought that if this was truly the end of our car's life, I would never have to fix it. Then it only cost a few hundred dollars to get the car to work again. Then, when I was bringing it home, I thought I could get the chip repaired but I was hungry and wanted to go home for supper. Then the next day I was too busy. Then the day I decided I would get it done, I got in the car and saw faint shiny lines escaping from the chip. Too late. I hate Saskatchewan.

I'm not going to fix it. Ever. Our car has 412,000km on it and I feel it's not worth putting a new windshield on a old dying car. New wine in old wineskins comes to mind. It's biblical.

Really, I don't hate Saskatchewan at all. It just feels better blaming Saskatchewan for my broken windshield rather than my inability to be responsible and fix something I know I should have fixed right away. Ok, it doesn't feel any better at all.

So go to Saskatchewan. Really. It's beautiful and full of wonderful people. Just don't expect your windshield to make it home without a scratch.

And know I think of it, if I were riding my motorcycle, I'd hate dentists. But it's already too late for that.