Do you know the story of the death of Isadora Duncan? She was an American dancer born in 1877 who died tragically in Nice, France in 1927 when her scarf became entangled in the wheel and axle of the car that she was riding in. It’s a rather gruesome story and I can not even begin to imagine the scene.
Fast forward to 2022. A sunny morning in the mountains of Western North Carolina where a woman is quickly vacuuming the rugs where there are remnants of kitty litter and kitty kibble making their appearance as they do daily. Husband obliviously is making coffee as a loose string from said woman’s scarf finds its way into the roller bar of the upright vacuum cleaner. YIKES!
My saving grace was that the scarf was very loosely wrapped around my neck AND the vacuum roller bars were clogged with cat fur. A Siberian cat is good for clogging up vacuum cleaners. My quick reaction time to shut off the vacuum and extricate myself from a tricky Isadora Duncan type situation was successful and Chris stood there just looking at me. Smile. We mused that that would be a very difficult phone call to make to the children.
It really wasn’t that close of a call but it did give me a precedent for going forward. NO scarf wearing while vacuuming. Never again.
Later that day I had a grocery store pickup to do and other errands and appointments to keep. Not wanting to make yet another trip into town I decided to just chill out in my car listening to an audio book while I waited for my shopper to shop. Since they had already started shopping I felt like it would not be that long before my order was ready so why not? Time passed and I honestly did not pay attention since I was listening to a book.
The magical text appeared that my order was ready and guess what? My car battery was dead. I had the car on Auxillary while I waited so I could listen to the book through my car speakers and upon reflection I had been sitting there over an hour. With a battery that probably needs replaced. Sigh. So I called Mr. Diamond who came to resuscitate my car back to life and I picked up my order.
Some days just don’t go as planned. Things that happened on this particular day reminded me once again that I live a pretty sweet life. I have a vacuum that works, a beautiful house to live in and maintain, a reliable car and money to order groceries when we need them. I also have a reliable husband who will bail me out of whatever scrapes I find myself in. The day that these things happened I realized once again that there will be days like this and fortunately they are not every day.
So take my advice today – don’t vacuum while wearing a scarf and don’t use the axillary function on your car for too long unless you want to wear your battery down.
This is the last day to Comment for a Cause for our current Cause – Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue. Tomorrow I will share our donation amount and our new cause so make sure to pop back over.
18 Comments
Leave a commentOh my! What a day. The Isadora Duncan reference made me take notice. i recall she was in a Bugatti convertible. An awful way to go. I will take note not to wear a scarf while vacuuming or riding in a convertible. Thank heaven for husbands who rescue us. That has happened to me more than once, not just dead batteries, but locking the keys in the car and running out of gas etc. They truly are our knights in shining armour.
I might have exaggerated a bit but it was definitely not a good thing to wear a scarf while vacuuming! Lesson learned.
Omg. I guess it’s lucky that I rarely use scarves and that we have a roomba to do the vacuuming for us most days. 🙂
And super grateful for grocery delivery.
Glad we have learned some things!! Just for fun, I googled to see if other people have had their scarves get stuck in a vacuum. Yes, but not while being worn. However, scarves do get stuck in elevator doors. And in case you are wondering, this story did make it in to a future podcast.
I am so glad I am a continual source of fodder for your podcast. 😂
I can just see you with the scarf tangled in the vacuum. At the time nit as funny as when you look back.
It was pretty funny actually. I embellished a bit with the drama of it all but it could have been bad . 🙂
It’s wonderful to have husbands come to the rescue. Several years ago I had told my husband that my car wasn’t starting right. He ignored it until it was 11 pm on a freezing night and my car wouldn’t start after work. I gleefully called him to come start the car, he was ready for bed. Luckily it was only a mile to work. New battery and the problem was fixed!
Husbands can be oblivious, right? I can just imagine the glee in your voice when you called Bruce. 🙂
Oh my, you are lucky indeed! I often think about what my scarf might get into, don’t know why. It must be warmer where you are because I’d have run out of gas running the car to stay warm while listening to the audiobook.
Scarves are dangerous. Oh sure, they look all pretty and complement your outfit but they can turn on you at a moments notice as you can see from my tale of woe.
Oh, Beth Ann, what stories…with lessons learned. You caused me to laugh aloud on this Monday morning. Thank you, dear not-quite-Isadora.
I am here to keep you entertained. 🙂 Seriously, I am glad that my stories can make folks smile and laugh. Goal accomplished.
Oh, my goodness what a day you had!! Bless the Lord everything worked out all right. We are often taught lessons in a vivid.
It was a great lesson in what NOT to do!
I have a similar experience to relate. A couple of years ago, while fishing on a friend’s boat in Mexico (the Sea of Cortez, which is only a few hours from my home), I hooked into a very big grouper (~70 pounds). I was wearing a wide-brimmed fishing hat, which has a string chin strap to prevent blowing off my head while the boat is underway. Anyway, I was bent over my big saltwater reel, trying to bring up the beast, and my chin strap was hanging down near the reel. Not once, not twice, but three times(!!!), my chin strap got wrapped in the spool of the reel, as I was reeling up, bringing my nose down to the reel, each time. My so-called “friends” on the boat were in hysterics, as I struggled to free myself from the reel each time.
I am in hysterics. Maybe it is genetic for us???? 😂
Wow – not a smooth day for you! Glad it all ended well. It’s wonderful to have a husband to come to your rescue!