Snow day- part one

I had been listening to the weather predictions. They said it was coming. They warned us, it is coming. Be ready. So I made my preparations. I filled the gas tank on my vehicle, I bought batteries and I loaded the front porch with firewood. I had already made my way to the store and purchased the obligatory bread, milk and junk foods. I checked over my lists and checked over the house, and pet's houses. My son filled them yet again with cedar shavings and dry leaves. I filled containers with water- just in case. If the power went I wanted water for coffee.




Sunday night I went to bed earlier than I usually do. My anticipation- and dread- of the coming day wearing me out. I had watched as the weather prognosticators had showed where the storm was, where it was approaching and how fast. I was still hoping to get to work before it arrived. No such luck.



When I got up Monday morning- the ground was already white and it was snowing heavily. So, did I go, or not? My thoughts bounced back and forth like a ping pong ball at a championship match. I need to work, but I don't want to get hurt should I slide off the side of a mountain somewhere. I need to work, but I don't want to risk lives- mine or others. I need to work, but I..back and forth. Then the calls began, I had people call me which meant I had to call people. Well, one person who had already talked to the same people that were calling me. She told me that she would make some calls and get back to me. Hope was, the plant was not running. Hope was dashed when we were informed that yes, the plant was most definitely running. So now I was back to do I go, or not. I went.



As I had fluctuated between going and not- I had prepared my day's supply of snacks and lunch. My coffee was ready, my boots and outer wear waited. Part of me desired more than anything to stay home. Part of me feared going out. Part of me looked at the bills to be paid and that part won out. Late as it was, I could still make it to work on time. Getting my boots on I began to carry stuff to the car. Opening the door several inches of snow that has accumulated on top of the vehicle came flowing down like a mini-avalanche. Brushing it off the seat I got in and started the car. I had put plastic over the windshield, but in haste had not anchored it down, so the snow had pushed it down. Cleaning the windows I made ready to go. Reaching the top of the Dirt Road I had a choice to make, do I go the long way around? Or do I be more daring and go around the mountain? Because of the time, and some little voice inside my head I went the way that would take me around the mountain.



I pulled out onto the road and began to travel its snow covered expanse toward work, at the grand speed of fifteen miles an hour. The still early hour of not quite 5:30 and the falling snow had very few cars on the road. My first fear was approaching, I slowed down even more. Even in a four wheel drive vehicle I was taking no chances. I did not want to end off down in the river. All the nightmare possibilities swarmed inside my head. I did not wish to be trapped in a sinking car and yet I don't know how to swim..so I eased my way down. At the bottom of the hill a truck was up against the guardrail with his hazard lights flashing. The vehicle was off the road, and I didn't see a driver so I moved on. I crossed the bridges and made my way around a long sweeping curve. In the process I met a truck coming the other way, with plenty of room on either side we kept going. Then, I met my first difficulty. A co-worker in trouble.



This particular co-worker lives not far from me. He drives a small pick up truck. He had tried to make the turn to go up the next hill and hadn't made it, and now he was going nowhere fast. I parked in the middle of the road and walked over to his truck. Don't ask me why I thought I could do this next thing- I got behind and tried to push thinking if I could help him get to a spot where he could catch traction--of course it didn't work. He tried to move to turn around and go back. I moved my vehicle past him out of the way, watching him carefully. No matter what he tried, he wasn't going anywhere. At one point I got past him and moved to where I could park off the roadway as other traffic was by this time making an occasional appearance. I parked and walked back, as I made my way I watched as the vehicle that had stopped on the road coming down the hill, the one we wanted on, suddenly blue lights sprang to life. Blue lights reflecting off of falling snow has an interesting and really rather pretty effect. The officer told him that he might as well park the truck where he was because he wasn't going to get anywhere right then. He was actually being very polite, I'm sure he had been sitting in his SUV shaking his head at my co-worker's attempts. I spoke with the officer while my co-worker got his belongings and locked the truck. The officer went on to his waiting assignment while we walked back to my own vehicle. Turning around I made my way up the hill.



Going around the mountain wasn't really bad as we only met one vehicle going the other way and it was at a place that was wide enough that there was no worries. It was when we got around the mountain and coming into the small town that I groaned aloud. The road looked like a skating rink. Already going slow I eased up on the gas and tried to keep a steady speed. All I wanted was to get to work. Seeing the plant come into sight was calming. Getting into the parking area and stopped was even more so. Together my co-worker and I spread the plastic over the windshield and this time anchored it down by the doors. I got all my many belongings from the vehicle and went inside. The shop manager had already been cleaning the front entrance and spreading salt, but inside the door the melted snow had formed a nice wet and slippery area he hadn't gotten dried yet. Here was where I removed my boots and slipped on my sneakers. Gathering up my many essentials I clocked in and made my way to the department I worked in.



When I walked across the floor I saw the manager of another department turning on the lights, one co-worker and me..soon after my arrival my manager arrived. That made three of us in our department, three out of nearly twenty people made it in. In the entire plant there was maybe twenty of us worker ants that arrived.



During the day I would sneak peaks out the door when I took my breaks. Snow was falling through-out the day. I wanted out in it with my camera...first I had to make it through the day at work. When 4pm and quitting time finally arrived I began to gather up my belongings once again and head out. I knew that the co-worker that I had rescued that morning was riding with someone with a bigger truck that was going to pull his truck out of the snow. That meant all I had to do was go home. Which I did in a kinda round about way.



I wish that I had gotten my camera out of the bag before I started off, but I didn't, so I missed a few good shots. (Story of my life) Finally at one point I did pull over and get my camera. From the safe place I pulled off I fired off a few shots, walked across the roadway and took a few more. I then returned to my vehicle and made my way to where I could turn to go past a pond. When I got in front of it I fired off a few more shots, then pulled up to where I could turn around. Once I got turned around I went home. Slowly and carefully.



When I got all of my belongings into the house I made ready to go walking. I was going out to get photos of the snow before it got dark. Of course everyone had to call me right at that moment to see if I had made it home....



to be cont..

Blessed, a collection of God given inspirational poetry by Rebecca Stepp Revels is available now @

http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=2137587

and now also at

Amazon, Books-a-Million and Barnes and Noble .com





The Legend of Dragon's Doom:a Young Warrior's vow, by RS Revels is available @

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and other online sites





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Blessed in His Promises

breaker one nine, just trying to keep it between the ditches with the sunny side up

For those who do not know, my husband is a long haul truck driver- yup- a big rig jockey. A modern day cowboy riding the ribbon rodeo. For years I tried my best to talk him out of learning to drive a truck..then, after the place he worked closed their doors and he couldn't find anything else, he slipped away one afternoon and signed up. He was going to school. Our son- who at the time thought it was cool- couldn't wait to tell me. I'm wondering if he thinks vback to that day and regrets that excitment?


During the time that he was 'in school' we helped him with what we could book wise. He is no fan of reading, growing bored with it quickly. He wanted to spend all his time turning the wheel- not turning pages of a book. James and I ended up at one point making a cd for him to listen to going back and forth to school. It worked, do I regret helping? Some times, but he asked, so I did it. He passed the class and got his cdl. The next day he had a job with a company in Charlotte and was off with a driving instructor. With this company he was home weekends.



I remember watching the first time he drove one of those tractors into our driveway. I thought that was just so cool. He was finally living his dream. He was back at work after being unemployed for months. I had my 'me' time back and could actually get the house back in order. Watching him drop down from the cab and walk across the yard like he was king of the hill was nice. It sure beat listening to his grumbling over not having a job.



Now here we are five years later. He has been driving those things all over the country and even into Canada once, the Canadians weren't too upset but our border guards sure were suspicious of him when he tried to get back across where he belongs. He missed his exit thanks to road construction. But he did say that Canada was nice that time of year..what he saw of it.



His GPS can not understand when he refuses to follow instructions when the thing tries to send him into Canada when he needs to go to NY from Michigan..if he had a passport he might could do it, but eventhen I doubt it. Just as neighborhoods don't care for commuters using their roads as a cut through I'm sure that Canada may not care ofr it either.



I've listened to him complain about weather, he has spent his fair share of time sitting on an interstate going nowhere thanks to roads being closed due to snow and ice. He's called and talked about his truck rocking because of the wind, not because he had his radio window rattling loud. He even told me once about a law enforcment officer directing him to drive through standing water... he said the water was up to his running board..I asked him if he told that guy that he was in a truck not a boat.. but didn't.



I've listened as he talked about what he has seen across the country. How a small herd of deer ran across the road in front of him, or the big really big, I mean REALLY big buck and his doe were standing just off the side of the road somewhere along the line.



He has gotten much better at backing that thing- I don't envy him at all- because I seriously hate backing and I drive an suv-







I road with him tonight when we took James's car over to Sam's Club to have the tires checked. Remember, James's car is a Dodge Intrepid. It is not a big car. At every turn, he swung wide -- I mean over into the next lane wide. I'm hanging onto the door of the car and he's asking what's wrong.. wellllllllllllllllllllllllllll



When he went to slow down, youwould have thought there was several thousand pounds of something, probably empty drink bottles and fast food wrappers pushing him. He had the most difficult time finding the controls of the car. He was looking for the lights..and turned on the windshield wipers. Not just once, but several times. He tried to find the emergency brake release, and turned on the windshield wipers and then opened the window. By the time I'm biting down on my hand. If he heard me laughing I'd have been in trouble.



On the way home we had to come a different route than what we usually take due to Christmas Town being lit up and the traffic makes passing through that area down right impossible, unless you don't mind waiting an hour to move twenty feet.. personally I think its too cold for that right now.



But anyway, on the way home, the turning lane's beginning is right after a traffic island type thing. You pass that, you move over and make your way tot he red light. He kept going and going, I told him that he could move over at any point, he wasn't hauling a 53 foot trailor. Of course that set him off demanding to know if I thought he couldn't drive..well no, of course not. He just needed to remember he was in a mid size car not his truck.



I'm sure that anyone behind us was wondering what was wrong. I'm just glad that we didn't pass any law enforcement officers.. they may not have been as understanding.







I still think its funny--maybe I should have someone weld some stacks on the side of the car, put some air brakes on the thing, a big grill on the front, air horn..fifth wheel-it might be a tad bit easier then..he'd feel right at home--



















Blessed, a collection of God given inspirational poetry by Rebecca Stepp Revels is available now @

http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=2137587

and now also at

Amazon, Books-a-Million and Barnes and Noble .com





The Legend of Dragon's Doom:a Young Warrior's vow, by RS Revels is available @

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-legend-of-dragons-doom-a-young-warriors-vow/7505820

and other online sites





also @ Bookin' It, your mobile bookstore @ www.bookin-it.com



Available now @ http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/blessed-in-his-promises/12670945:

Blessed in His Promises