Yellow is the new green

I'm talking traffic signals.  You know, stop lights.
We all know what the red means, right?  STOP!

We all know what green means, too.  GO!

Yellow is a little iffy, though.  I think it depends on how far away you are when it shows up. If it changes while you're in the intersection . . . obviously you breeze right on through.

If you're exceeding the speed limit by 5 or 20mph and you're fairly close then do you stand on your brakes or continue on your law-breaking way???

I have seen more people run - and by run, I mean who-are-you-kidding-me?-run through yellow/red down here. More red than yellow.

I was half way through a yellow the other day and checked out my rear view mirror to see who would be following me.  I swear 3 cars were lined up without a backward (or sideways) glance to see if anyone one else was coming (legally) from the other direction.

I was talking to someone the other day that said he thought he remembered a time when there wasn't a yellow.  Really?  He didn't look ancient but I wonder if that was so.

This wasn't a rant and it wasn't a complaint.
Just an observation because I'm observant.

Mom - not afraid to try . . . anything

I know, I know.  What the heck is the deal with that T-shirt and how is it connected to my mom?

Hang on.  The explanation is comin'.

So mom had a zest for life and when she was curious about something or how to fix something or how to "change" something to make it better, she'd go  looking for an answer.  

Often times there was paint involved.  You could find those huge colored paper clips holding things together and rubber bands used in very unique ways.

I have a million examples but, you know me, I'm not into the long blog so I'll cut to the chase.

The house we're renting in FL has air vents at the top of the walls, near the ceilings - no basements down here.

Well, when we turned the AC on the air in the bedroom shot across the room, hit the wall behind the bed and dropped right down onto my head.

I, like my mom and my younger sister, Lisa, (haven't asked my older sister, Stacey yet) can't deal with that.  I was draping my bathrobe and other items over my head to block the jet stream.  It wasn't a satisfactory solution.

So Lisa, was telling me about the vent in her bedroom and she had the same problem.  She solved the issue by attaching a piece of cloth across the vent. I think there were paper clips involved.  It didn't completely block the air; let in enough to cool the joint down but didn't freeze her ears off.

I took another look at the vent in our place.

Hence the T-shirt shoved between vents using a wooden spoon.

Ta-da!  Mom would be so proud.

Turning signal

So.  Do you use yours?  All the time - without fail?
I sure try to.  I even use mine when I'm in a "turn only" lane. 

I don't call that obsessive.  I call that being aware of my surroundings and trying to make sure everyone near me knows what my next move is going to be.

I've noticed that people here in St.Pete are pretty good about using their blinkers.  That's probably because there's so much more traffic here than in my little town of Allegan. 

Three, sometimes, four lanes all going what feels like TOO DAMN FAST to me.

The use of their turning signals does not stop them from jumping from lane to lane, however.  Dang.

Also, have you ever noticed the solid white lines on the pavement as you approach the stop lights on streets that have 2 or more lanes?

That means you're not supposed to be jockeying for position at the last second when the light turns green.  
But I see people doing it all the time.

And speaking of traffic signals.  I would suggest you not be in an all-fired hurry to be the jack rabbit when that light does turn green.

Know why?  Cuz the person on the intersecting street will more than likely be running the red light.
Duck!!! I've lost count how many times I've seen that happen.
However, if you're too slow getting out there, you can be rest assured the knucklehead behind you will let you know about it.  Honk, honk.

St.Pete is busy.  Much more traffic than I'm used to in my 3-light little town but Petey and I are used to it (pretty much) and have sharpened our defensive driving skills.

Having said that, we're usually back, safely on the couch, by dark unless we're pretty darned close.

Does this sound like it's written by someone in her 70s?  Poop!