The highlight to this week is that I got to see my sweet granddaughters. The rest of it- has been for the birds. Or of the devil. Or just flat stupid. We had Monday off for the holiday. We had Tuesday off school for bad road conditions. Wednesday we went back to school, but the only thing that changed was the highway conditions. The back roads are not good. It isn’t for lack of trying on the township, or by the county people. The problem is that the summer and fall were so dry that they couldn’t blade the roads. Then they tried just adding gravel but the roads were so dry and dusty that the gravel just sort of sunk in dust. Then it got wet and became this sort of muddy muck. Then it snowed and packed into the mess. Then it rained. Then it changed to snow. So they have a layer of mud then a layer of ice, then about 8-9 inches of snow. My grader guy said this is the absolute worst junk he has ever bladed. Then it became frigid and the snow started blowing around. The drifts out in some of the country roads are seriously 3-4 feet deep. They keep plowing but it keeps blowing. Then the wind switched to the south so it blew the piles back across the road the other direction. Then it thawed just enough to make a nice layer of water over the existing ice and snow mix. Now it’s freezing again, snowing again. Jim ran to get Quincy from work and said the roads are bad again. It’s a never ending storm of awfulness. And I know it is not just my normal winter sucks attitude. If my husband says the roads are bad, then you should listen, because he is one who usually says "its not that bad if you just go slow." This has gone on now for 15 days, not that I am counting, but it seems like a lot, lot longer. We are all tired. The township people I work with and have a deep respect for, have been working 24 hours a day 7 days a week. They feel defeated because they can't keep ahead of it. The county people that I have contact with are just flat grouchy (made worse by the fact that Osage county went from a workforce of 20 to a meager 9 people). Douglas County - don't even get me started. When people complain about them calling off school, it makes me mad. They say things like "I made it just fine....the roads aren't even that bad!!" Ok, but you drove your little 5 mile trip. We have (I believe) 11 bus routes in this district. I drive between 95-110 miles a day depending on who rides. My mom drives more than that. Every other driver in the district drives a similar amount. We cannot risk the lives of children because you drove 5 miles and said it is fine. And I have not been afraid to tell people exactly that. Usually it shuts them up, but not always. Lucky for me, I have always enjoyed a good argument. (Except with you, Jim....I don't want to argue with you, I just want to be right-- haha!).
On Wednesday, the temperature climbed to a balmy 34 degrees. As a winter hater, one would think I would be happy to see the snow melting. I was not happy about it. We got just enough warmth to make the roads worse, and the drifting that was there got slushy. We have "new" buses. They are flat terrible in the snow. Traction control limits how much spin you can have on your tires. Anyone who has driven in the snow knows sometimes you need to spin a little bit. Added to the problem is that these buses don't turn as sharply as others I have driven, which means turns have to be wide or you won't make it. When they plowed the roads, they left about a big pile on the north side of the road. I cannot turn wide with that pile there. I have been driving around the mile to come in only from the Stanley road side of our property, because there is a larger margin of error with the culverts. The district asked for parents to pick up their children this week if possible. I literally only had a handful of kids, and was done with my route reasonably early, and had no issues. And then I turned into our driveway. There was a small drift at the end of it, and as I turned, I started to slide. Now I know if I hit the brakes I am done in this bus....because you cannot spin and the tires are not good for where we are driving. However, instinct took over and as I was sliding toward the gate I panicked and hit the brakes. I was done. Could not go forward, could not go backward. Could not move. Quincy brought me some cat litter. That did not work. The neighbor brought me some sort of tread things that you put under the tires and drive on out. Nope. I called my boss, he told me to call Jagger. Now I love Jagger, he is an old school friend of mine, we grew up together and I think the world of him. But we call him ALL the time, and frankly, not because I just want to catch up on his life. Jagger's business is successful and his grandchildren had wonderful Christmas gifts because of my family keeping him in business. And yes, the district was paying for this time, but geezzzzz I hate calling him! He told me he would be right out. He knows the way to our house just fine...no address giving needed. He pulled me out, but because he couldn't get around me, he had to pull me out backwards, which meant I had to come in from the side I didn't want to come in from. He said "oh Hope, you can make it, just hit the gas and don't let up! - and I will wait until you're in before I leave!" Thank God he waited, because I turned too short (thank you pile of snow) and ended up with my back tire in ditch. He once again pulled me out, but he told me pop it in neutral, and whatever you do, don't hit the brakes. OK! So he is behind the bus, between it and his tow truck. I feel the bus start sliding sideways and all I can see is him standing back there in my mirrors. I panicked and hit the brakes, and then slid sideways in the ditch behind the giant pile of snow on the north side. He scratched his head.. Why did you hit the brakes? Oh gee, I don't know, maybe because hitting you with a bus seemed like a bad idea? He said "I would have moved!" Jagger, is my age, we don't move like we used to! He towed me out for the 3rd time, just as Jim came home for the evening. I flagged him down and said I am sorry you are home already, but I am going to need you to follow me to town, because I am NOT even attempting the driveway again. I drove to town and parked at the school! Sometimes you gotta know your limitations and considering it took 2 hours and 3 times of being pulled out, I was at my limit!
Added to the problems Jim's truck blew the water pump, which means we have 2 cars running. Quincy's and the Nissan. This would usually be no problem but because I left the bus in town, I needed a ride to work whereas I would normally just leave on the bus. Since we are down a vehicle, Jim had to get up early and drive me to town. That left Quincy and the girls home to do chores, and Quincy was going to drive the girls down to catch the bus when I go back by an hour later. They got chores done, and were on time for the bus. I drove off with Harper and Saige, and Quincy started back to the house to get ready for her day, since she can leave even later if she drives to the high school. She had been a witness to the bus fiasco of the night before, so she decided she would not risk the end of the driveway, and decided to back up. As in drive up our driveway backwards. Let's just say that was not the best plan. Everyone else was gone for the day. Jim had gone on to work early since he drove me to town, I had picked up the girls and was driving the bus. Enter my neighbor, Katie. She had tried to help me the night before with the bus fiasco. She leaves her house to take her child to daycare and sees Quincy, in the driveway digging her car out of a snow bank. I thank God for giving us good neighbors. Katie stopped to help her. They tried digging the car out, they tried pushing the car out. Nothing worked. Katie suggested calling Jim, to which Quincy said no, he was already at work and she needed to figure it out herself. I think a few tears were shed. Katie then drove Quincy to the house, waited for her to get ready, and drove her to school. Katie told me she actually enjoyed it, having a 5 year old doesn't make for as enjoyable of a conversation on the way to school! :) When Quincy got out of school at 1, I picked her up, and had her take the Nissan home, so she could come back for work. When she got home, Katie came over. She had decided to "borrow" her husband's tractor and wanted to practice her farming skills. She bladed out their driveway, and she bladed the rest of ours, then got Quincy and they attempted to pull the car out of the snow. Katie sent me this picture. I think she was having way, way too much fun. I suggested that when she drive by our house, she start looking off toward the north, maybe not look at what craziness is happening at our place!
If you are still with me. I have to add in that I feel so blessed to live where we do. Yes, all of this is sucky and inconvenient. But, who lives in a place where you are friends with a tow truck driver? One who hangs around to make sure you are ok after they towed you out, and then ended up not being completely mad that they had to tow you out 2 more times? That tow truck driver, seeing the crap at the end of our driveway, made a phone call and had another guy we know come by with his skid steer and clear the end of the driveway. Who has a neighbor who sees you are having trouble and stops to help not once, but twice in 2 days? And then seeing, that only half of your driveway is clear, goes ahead and cleans the rest of it for you? Who takes time out of their day to drive your kid 10 miles to school? Who does that? The people in this community! I love it here, and am so blessed to be raising our kids here!
We are once again out of school. The temperature is awful (the bank says -0....not sure what the is, but trust me, it is cold!) The wind is howling and blowing drifts again. Jim and I did make it to work, but I think that is because the grader had gone down the road as we were getting ready. I am over it! Thankfully, we have a nothing much to do sort of weekend. Next week, they are saying 40's and rain. It will be another kind of mess, but maybe we can call Jagger to get us out of the mud rather than the snow. To me that is preferable!
One other side note, while I am being filled with tales of thankfulness. I think I mentioned that I pulled a hammy. I have been getting around somewhat ok, but have been pretty miserable. I am so thankful for Jim and the girls. Jim has walked Evelyn to her bus, helped me by driving me places and making sure I am dropped off close to the door so that I don't have to risk walking on snow and ice, and helped me with a ton of other stuff this week. The girls have done all of the outside chores so that I don't have to risk slipping and sliding around in the frozen mess outside. It takes time to change out every water dish, make sure things have bedding, run heat lamps, and whatever else has to be done. It is miserable out, but they have handled all of it. Jim also came home last night, took a shovel, and manually dug Quincy's car out of the snow. (I don't think he wanted to call Jagger any more than I did!) I appreciate it so much.
No comments:
Post a Comment