THANKFULNESS

I may be a few days early for the traditional day of thankfulness, but my heart is so full of thanks and appreciation today.  I guess with any good story, you should start at the beginning, so let me get started.

Craig had asked for home time for today, and even when given an assignment while in Boise, ID which had him driving to Wallula, WA to pick up meat, and then with four deliveries attached to it, Post Falls, ID, Helena and Billings, Montana and lastly in Salt Lake City, Utah he was still confident that there was a plan in the works.  Myself?  Almost always the person who thinks the glass is half full, muttered several times that there was no way he was getting home time, and that the communication between the weekday people and the weekend person has always been nonexistent.

So after going loaded in Wallula, Craig calls into the weekend dispatcher to find that he knew nothing about Craig going home and that he would have to at least make the delivery in Post Falls, ID (just a short distance from Spokane) and then call into the office to see what would be decided.  To add even more to a complicated situation, Craig didn't even have enough hours to make the deliveries into Montana, let alone deal with the snow storm which had hit the region.

After making the delivery in Post Falls, he is told to come back to the yard, where a team driver (his previous trainee Roy who was now without a partner), would join him in the truck to ensure the deliveries were made.  It was a holiday week, as he was told, and they really had no other option.  Craig tried to protest, especially since that left me to fend for myself, (not that I'm incapable or anything), but he was concerned with the snowfall, and making sure everything was okay at home.

I put on a brave front, and told him that people for hundreds of years have lived in areas where it snowed, and in modern times even drive in it, and even though I have never driven in the snow, I would be okay and not to worry.  We parted ways with a hug and a kiss, and I love you, and off I went on my way, while he waited for Roy to come into the yard to join him.

Interstate 90 was pretty much asphalt.  The snow had let up and I confidently made my way up Division Street towards Highway 2 making a slow journey home.  The roads where pretty much covered in snow, but I had the Disneyland Utopia tire marks to follow.  I made it up Highway 2 okay, and then I made my turn onto a less traveled Highway 211.  Here is where any indication of a road started to vanish, and the snow started to fall quite heavily.  It was getting hard to see, and not having a four wheel drive vehicle concerned me a little, but to tell you the truth, I was so busy praying for help and guidance that my mind was on little else other than trying to stay on what I thought was the road.

I made it through to our little town of Usk, where in the beginning of this journey, I thought I would stop at the little store to pick up some milk and other supplies, but the snow had built up so much on the road, with no indication of any snowplows in sight, I made the decision to just keep going, knowing I had some food staples at home, and who was I kidding, I had enough stored fat on me, I wouldn't starve anytime soon.

With a sigh of relief, I hit the entry road into our development, the snow even thicker here, I kept the truck  moving forward, until I felt it go loosey goosey in the tail end.  I started spinning, remembering Craig's words of wisdom during just this type of thing, foot off the gas, no brakes, and steer in the direction the tail end is fishtailing.  I tried to do all those things, and being a rookie at this snow driving I don't think I did too bad until I caught the road sign with my side mirror and it spun me even more dramatically until the pickup was sideways across the road and the rear wheels in the ditch.

Now what?  I knew there was probably someone at the club house that could help me, but I didn't have the phone number.  Directory assistance did no good as they connected me to their fax machine instead of the office number.  Just as I was calling Craig to get his input on the situation, (like he could really do anything from where he was at, but it was nice to hear his voice just the same), one of our neighbors, Terry, comes by and says....." Now how did you manage to do that?"   To which I will forever say..."It's my first time driving in these conditions" and hope that gives me a pass for ending up in the ditch.

He immediately tells me to get in his vehicle and he will take me home, and then proceeds to call his wife to call a couple of the other guys who live in the area to come by our house to get the keys to the truck and pull it out of the ditch for me.  Within 15 minutes, John and Chuck are at my door, taking my keys and telling me to relax, and that they will take care of it for me.  Twenty minutes later, our pickup is in our driveway, minus the glass on the passenger side mirror, and none the worse for the whole experience.  I don't even think there were any note worthy scratches either.

To say that I am thankful and appreciative of their help is truly an understatement.  Not only did they take care of the truck for me, but made sure the heat and water were running in the house, but Terry called from the store to see if there was anything he could pick up for me while he was there.  I was also told to stop by the clubhouse for pizza tomorrow night, and to bring my appetite on Thanksgiving for dinner on Thursday as well.

I can sit back and laugh about it now, but as Craig says, there isn't anyone who lives in the snow that hasn't spun out at least one time in their life......I just got mine done early!  Let's hope it's the last time, or if not, it has the same great ending.  Thankful I will be this Thanksgiving, and every day for the blessings in my life!