2009-09-27 - 10:36 p.m.

...apples and autos...

This morning we decided to leave our house in its half-packed state, and drove off to Abb0tsf0rd, BC. I found a apple/pumpkin farm, and we all piled into the car to go pick apples and pumpkins.

It was Susi's first apple/pumpkin farm! It was also Budda's first apple/pumpkin farm experience. And it was the typical experience: petting zoo, pony rides, hay rides, playgrounds, bunny room, apple cakes and pumpkin breads.. pumpkin patches full of everything but the great pumpkin and linus.

We had a blast. We even picked apples (which have since been converted into the first of many apply products - a pie).

The day was unfortunately marred by an incident at a traffic light near our house. K pulled from a left-turn lane into the middle lane while we were waiting at a stoplight. Within a few seconds, a guy came yelling and banging on the back of our car, accusing K of hitting his vehicle. Not one of us felt any impact whatsoever. This whole accusation came somewhere out of the blue.

We pulled over to the side to talk with him. He jumped out the car, yelled at me and K, and immediately started photographing every scrape and dent on our car (everyone, not just the area that would have been involved in this fantastical fender bender), and demanding K's license. K asked him and his wife to call the police, which they didn't do. Finally, amid yells, K called 911. The police collected all information and we moved on.

These people were amazing. They accused K of a 'hit and run.' They seemed to want to make us all angry. And I was very angry, and very worked up, especially as they photographed our car and yelled at both K and me as if we were lying criminals. I repeatedly denied that K had done anything, and told them that their claim was simply ridiculous. At that point, they accused me of harrassment.

It was very very bizarre, and really felt like they were trying to get us to do or say something that would allow them to sue us for damages.

We came away with that horrible, horrible feeling of having been in conflict with irrational people who won't listen, who yell aggressively, and who accuse you of being a criminal. So now this has to go before the insurance company; we have to get our car photographed, and file a report describing our situation.

In the end, I wish that I had remained more level-headed, especially when I see that they were trying to get us worked up, apparently to play into their scam.

K put it all very well. Between mortgages, the movers who never showed (another story), and extracting ourselves from the OCD painting landlady who is withholding our deposit to contribute to their new carpet and because we forgot to clean the walls behind the fridge....we are just tired of arguing with people. I need a break, and I want to stay in bed with my head under the covers.