WWII Leftovers

I will try really hard to catch up with life...

Let's go all the way back to when an old WWII bomb was discovered 600M from Andrea's preschool... October 27th.

I was on my way to pick up Andrea and a friend's daughter from school. On the way I met Policeman #1 who told me the road was closed... I thought it was weird because it was a small back road, but I just figured I'd go around. I kept driving and, about the same time that I came across Policeman #2, who also told me to turn around, my phone rang. It was the Preschool Teacher saying not to worry and that they were in the basement.

Huh?

Seems that when Andrea's little preschool class was outside at the park a policeman came up to them and frantically yelled "something something something RUN AND HIDE in your basement"... Way to not invoke panic Mr. Police Officer.

Anyways, the preschool teacher, who is the person I'd most want Andrea to be with in a bomb situation, ran the kids back to the school and took them into the basement/toy room. :) I'm sure there are worse places to be stuck in during a bomb scare. :)

Neither the teacher, nor I, had any idea how serious it was, so I simply decided to go around and come in on the other side of the school. Then I met Policeman #3. I told #3 that I needed to get my kids who were hiding in the basement of their preschool. He said "No." He told me there was no way to get to my kids by using that road.

See, here's the deal. There was some digging/construction going on and they found a "not yet exploded" bomb from WWII. A British bomb, so thank you England... The immediate circle, ~500M, around the bomb was evacuated house by house and nobody was allowed to enter under any circumstances. However, around this immediate, inner circle, there was an "outer circle" that nobody was allowed to enter either, but the "outer circle" had not been evacuated as thoroughly as the "inner circle" and #3 said there was a chance I could talk my way in.

According to the policemen had been showing me, Andrea's school was in the "outer circle", just a few houses outside of the "inner circle". She could in theory be reached, but not on the road I was currently on because that particular road let straight into the inner circle. Policeman # 3 said I needed to go around the "inner circle" to the other side and come in from the back. Making sense so far??

Okay, so I start driving and it's pure chaos on the already ridiculous roads. This is when I began to get scared because other people were acting scared. I've learned that's how panic works... you see other people freak out and then you freak out and so on and so on... Strange, but it happened to me too... I didn't freak out, but I did become very, very focused on getting to my Poozie as quickly as possible.

The road turned into a video game. Do what you want and just don't hit anything or you lose your turn. Nobody was following rules, people were driving down sidewalks, honking from everywhere, bicyclists randomly riding places, the not-so-calming police plowing through traffic with their sirens and lights on... Eventually I got to the other side and met Policeman #4.

#4, who was a much older man, said, "No, you can't go this way." I explained that I had to pick up my two three year-olds who were were in the basement of their school." He told me to go back a road and try there. I stared at him and just said okay. As I was getting into my car I turned back and gave him my "mommy eyes" and said, "Please". He paused for a minute and said okay. I love you Policeman #4.

WHOO HOOO I was in. HA!

But not really, but at least it got easier because there was considerably less traffic inside the guarded "outer circle". :) But there were two more policemen I had to talk to and convince to let me through their individual barricade. Six policemen and one hour later, I made it to Andrea.

I had spent an hour trying so hard to get to little Poozie and her friend. I grabbed them both, gave them hugs, tossed them in the car, and then became rather focused on getting us all away from the dumb bomb.

We eventually made it home. My friend had picked up my other kids from school and we met at my house safe and sound, but a little traumatized from the entire event. :)

There you have it. Poozie's first WWII Bomb Experience ...mine too. :)