Bill's Broadsides

Pothole season

April truly is the cruelest month, especially for motorists here in the Northeast. It's pothole season again, and I can't wait for our local highway crews to get out and start filling, patching, milling, bumping, grinding and whatever else it is they must do to make the streets level.

The streets and parking lots of the Glove Cities are notorious for resembling the surface of the moon this time of year, and those of us who don't drive gigantic suburban assault vehicles have to be extra careful.

The other night, I had occasion to visit one of our area hospitals. It was after normal business hours, so I had to use the emergency room entrance, the parking lot for which was pocked with three gaping potholes. I had to drive around them or risk breaking an axle. You'd think that fixing potholes there, of all places, would be a high priority! I pity the person being brought to the ER with broken bones in a speeding ambulance as it rolls over -- or swerves to dodge -- those craters.

Look on the bright side, I tell myself. At least I'm not this guy:



Note to readers: I'll be on vacation next week, and I don't plan to do any blogging while I'm away. Maybe I'll send a post card.
I will tell you that I plan to catch up on my recreational reading; I'm about half-way through "The Dante Club" by Matthew Pearl. If you enjoy mysteries, the Fireside Poets or 19th century American literature in general, you might like this book. I'd like to open this blog up to discussion about books, movies and music, so if anyone out there has any recommendations, fire away in the comments ... I'll see you in a week.