I have held back the blogging because I thought perhaps I'd be prone to sensationalizing.  I do exaggerate on occasion, especially when I'm excited -- and also when I'm nervous.  An entire weekend has gone by and, well, it is just a sensational thing -- and bizarre.  I was prompted at one point on Friday afternoon -- in the midst of the dramatic climax to a sad and strange week -- to look at the calendar and wonder aloud if there was a full moon.  (Not 'til the 26th.)

On Friday afternoon I received a call at work from Ali.  "Mom?"

There was a pause and then... was she breathing, panting, laughing, crying... laughing or crying?  "Ali?  ALI?"  More noise and muffles and snuffles.  "ALISON!!  WHAT'S THE MATTER?"

She'd just come home from her retail job at the mall to get ready for her barista gig and saw a lot of squad cars and policemen around the corner, just a few blocks from our house, where a car had hit a tree -- and also on our street and everywhere in between.  A neighbor must have seen Ali drive by and called to tell her what was going on -- that they were searching for an escaped prisoner (convicted of attempted murder, known gang member) from Minnesota who they believe had been driving the car that hit the tree.  For various reasons (and understandably) Ali started to freak a little.  She opened the back door to speak with an officer, but before she could even get a word out, another officer, wielding a very big gun, startled her from the path down by our playhouse and yelled at her to GET BACK IN THE HOUSE AND LOCK THE DOORS!   

Holy freakin' shit.  Well, that put her over the edge and, hysterical, she called me -- and I couldn't tell whether she was laughing or crying.  I think she couldn't make up her mind and was, actually, doing both.  I finally got the story out of her and called 9-1-1 myself to talk with the dispatcher, share our concerns, and urge them to get someone INTO the house.  Meanwhile, I checked all my sources and learned that all the schools were in lock-down -- there's a grade school two blocks from the crash scene and the middle school a couple of blocks in another direction (as the crow flies) (or suspect flees).

A couple of officers came in and did a cursory check of the house and, thank goodness, Ali had to go to work -- she got the heck out of there as quick as she could, locking the doors behind her.  I called Maddy when school let out and she was on her way home -- they'd let the kids go if they were driving or if the bus let them off right at their door, but not if they were alone or were walking.  She said that they were told to "travel in packs."  By the time I came home from work, news trucks had swarmed the neighborhood.

Talk about your Freaky Friday!!

Long story short -- they determined at about 6:00 that it wasn't the escaped convict from MN that they were chasing, but a different guy -- a more local guy -- who'd also been convicted of attempted murder and sexual assault, but who hadn't escaped from prison and was only wanted on parole violation and other not very exciting stuff (I guess, that's how the media played it!).  They caught him a few hours later, only about about a mile and a half from the car crash scene.  The prison escapee turned himself in on Saturday morning.

* * * * * *

On Saturday, it was city-wide rummage sale day.  I scored some stuff right down the street and also, later, with Ali -- there's even a little bit of knitting stuff, which I will have to show you later.  I also took Maddy to the mall for shoes and, I gotta tell ya, going to the mall with a kid who doesn't like to shop is the way to go!  I watched the Packers pull out a win yesterday and may have won my first Fantasy game of the season, too!  There was also knitting.  I haven't quite escaped the Black Hole known as Sleeve Island, but I've reached the decreases, at least, so it is shrinking -- two stitches, every fourth row.

; )