Good Thing A Vet's Sign Is Not A Snake, Though At Least I Could Have Sought Immediate Antivenom

We had a storm pass through Hillmomba on Wednesday night. Mrs. Hillbilly Mom is not very observant sometimes, but Thursday morning, I knew there must have been high winds. I'd been looking at the creek, to see if the water was up, and I might need to take my alternate route to town. But the creek was fine. However...half the gravel road was blocked at the junction with the blacktop county road. Limbs piled. Yellow tape and some cones marking the pile. As if it wasn't noticeable, filling a whole lane.

I didn't get a picture of the pile of limbs, because right as I pulled up, a county truck pulling a trailer holding a backhoe stopped, and two men got out. So I went about my business, and when I returned with my 44 oz Diet Coke, the pile of limbs was gone.

I could see where they came from, though. From a tree behind Mailbox Row.

It was kind of splintery.

A larger limb rested beside the lock boxes. At least I noticed that. Maybe I notice things in nature that might prevent me from procuring my daily 44 oz Diet Coke. Apparently, I do NOT notice more obvious changes that could also affect my life.

While I was in town, I made a trip out to the bank to transfer some money for The Pony's monthly allowance. Passing by Jack's veterinarian's office, at the old Pizza Inn building, I noticed a lack of cars. Almost like that place had closed up...WAIT A MINUTE! There was a piece of paper taped to the front door. Crap! Now I'd have to find somewhere else to take Jack for shots or sickness!

I didn't want to pull in the lot and get out and read the paper. I had my errands, and my magical elixir was waiting. Surely Farmer H would stop by there sometime when he was in the neighborhood. He could check it out for me. See where that vet had moved, or if it was closed.

Flash forward to Friday, on the way home from the casino with my sister the ex-mayor's wife. She usually knows everything going on in her community. So I asked.

"Hey, what happened to the vet's office in the old Pizza Inn building?"

"They moved!"

"I figured that. I went by there yesterday, and saw a sign on the door. Do you know where they moved? There was an article in the paper a while back. Said they wanted to build a bigger office, but the city wouldn't let them close off the alley that runs behind my bank. That's where they were going to build. On the old used-car lot. You know, next to that church where the steeple got struck by lightning."

"Oh. They're at the old Mexican restaurant."

"You mean the one that used to be--"

"The insurance office? Yes!"

"Well, I was going to say the portrait studio."

"Yeah. That's it."

"So they just moved across the parking lot?"

"Yeah."

"Huh."

We drove by it on the way home. There was a giant lighted sign with the name on it!
I never noticed it in the daylight.

I probably wouldn't have noticed it at night, except we'd just been talking about it.