week 13 from small to big or big to small

The day starts out rather slow and steady as I roll out of bed and do the usual, morning day off routine.  This starts with me pulling my mask off my face, which I use in order to get a good night sleep, but this morning it wasn’t on.  I’m no fortune teller but I can tell I’m going to be ignorantly tired all day since I chose not to put on my mask.  I know this makes me so tired not using it but I still do it.  Usually my wife will wake me up with an elbow to the ribs telling me to “put my damn mask on” in a rather vicious way though.  As I sit on the edge of my bed and pull up my sweats I try to remember the simple task that my, once in a blue moon, day off  has in reserve for me.  I have nothing planned, as of yet.  I usually don’t try and plan things I am more of a, go with the flow, kind of guy.
This morning had gotten my full attention rather quickly as I looked out the window and saw all kinds of that white stuff, yuck.  I really cannot complain due to the great year we have had thus far.  I remember as a kid sometimes putting on a snow suit just to go trick or treating.  I know what all this snow means for my day off, kill it.  Soooo, as I was rather comfy in my sweats I was within minutes of changing into jeans, sweatshirt, wool socks, and most important of all, my carhartt jacket, hat and gloves.  I knew this storm was coming and the night before was out until 10:30 pm firing up my plow truck.  The truck doesn’t run but a handful of times a year.  It takes a little finessing to get the truck ready.  I got the magic hands.
One tire was flat and it was out of gas which wasn’t that bad considering.  Little did I know, at the time, that filling the tire up was no simple task.  After firing the truck up I drove it to the house so I could pump up the flat tire.  With the muffler unhooked I drove carefully down to the house. For as slow as I was going, it sounded like I was racing on the Daytona 500 track at full speed.  I could see the neighbors looking out their windows at me; I just smiled and waved.  What else could I do when it was 10 at night. The tire was quite a challenge.  I had gotten to the house and tried repeatedly to pump this frozen tire up but it wouldn’t take the air.  The seal was comprised due to sitting for such a long time.  I was just about to quit when I realized I would be easier to just jack up the truck, so that what I did.  Now that this tire was full I parked the truck and was ready for the day.
Snow littered the ground in such a way to say, “I am winter let it snow.”  I took the challenge head on but was only about half prepared.  I went out and knew the truck was ready for me.  I gave it a little shot of ether, why it needs it to start I don’t know but it works, and broom broom the truck fired up first turn of the key.  “Thank god,” I thought to myself.  The plowing was a bit chilly due to the two side windows half covered with plastic, my head sticking out the window due to the wipers not working, but one thing proved strong the truck pushing the snow with ease.  I was proud and was doing a great job.  I was like a dog riding in a vehicle without my tongue hanging out.  My eye brows were frozen and the road was just about done.
The truck, with only 3 or 4 gallons in it, ran out of gas.  This was bad timing but was a blessing in disguise. The blessing was that I didn’t have to plow anymore but the bad timing was I ran out right in the middle of a steep hill.  I pumped the peddle hoping it would pick up a splash of gas but it didn’t.  It died out and I was sliding backwards.  Uh oh….. I had the plow up so I dropped it real quick to aid in stopping the truck from sliding backwards.  Oh man here I go.  I hated this feeling of no control.  The brakes were weak but still did nothing to slow my slide.  I finally decided it was now or never.  I cut the wheel and put the truck in the ditch.  By this time I had gained a little speed sliding so when I hit the unforgiving ditch I lunged me forcefully into the seat.
I got out a little shaken up from the slide and little winded from the scare.  Heart racing and truck stuck I didn’t care.  I was done plowing for the day.  I walked away glancing back at the truck as to thank it for its job that it did.  My long driveway was plowed and that’s all that mattered at this point in time.  I had a quarter mile walk home which was going to be a little chilly but other then that the day had gone pretty swell.  I figured I would go out after the storm and yank out the truck so until then the ditch is its resting place.  It could have died in a worse spot such as the middle of the road but it didn’t.  I stumbled through the front door and my wife had hot chocolate for me all ready with those little marshmallows and I knew from here on it was going to be a good day.