The Aftermath
To people who aren’t familiar with big snow that can be coupled with cold, I have one thing to say. You’re missing out. Maybe you don’t want to live here, but to experience a winter snowstorm or blizzard is an amazing thing. Driving in one isn’t, of course, but being safely inside, while it roars and tries to pull apart the house, is pretty cool. There’s something about being surrounded by swirling snow that seriously restricts visibility while you’re warm and toasty inside that is very comforting. The horses have their noses stuck in a buffet of hay, those that need it have blankets and all can stay out of the weather behind their shelters, so no worries there either. All in all, it’s a wonderful experience. We generally watch movies, if the television signal hasn’t gone down. If it has, then we play cards or games to pass the time. If the power goes out, the candles come into play. All of it adds to the ambience of the weather. Of course, treats come out and we make it special for the kids.
When my husband and I were first dating, then married, we used to go snowmobiling after storms. Or better yet, go out with our four by fours, to explore and pull out vehicles people had gotten stuck in the deep snow. Deep snow didn’t scare me at all, if you’re prepared and driving the right vehicle, it can be a lot of fun.
The day after the blizzard ended, I just wanted to get the brat home. Even my little sweetpea was done with her bad behaviour. The excitement of having a friend over had long since lost its glow. I had Del’s big truck swept off and started. As soon as it was warmed up enough, we could be off. My high spirits at the prospect of ridding ourselves of the unruly child was soon seriously tempered. My sweet little girlchild wasn’t feeling well. She didn’t want to come along. This posed a huge problem. One child absolutely had to go home. The very idea of having her yet another day was simply intolerable. Yet how could I take her home and leave my child on her own? There was no way of knowing, when snowplows would be out clearing roads. The thought of having to put up with a brat, yet another day was simply awful. Sweetpea definitely felt the same.
“I’ll stay right here, mom,” she promised while pointing at the couch, “I’ll stay right there and watch from the window. I won’t go anywhere.”
“You won’t move?” willing to be persuaded, I had doubts, but at the same time, she was providing a solution to a problem. I didn’t have to travel very far and had the truck to do it in. If worse came to worst, I could leave the truck and walk home, or call a neighbour to sit with sweetpea, until I got back home again. She was adamant that she would be fine. She’d stay by the window and await my return. No neighbour would be needed. After sweetpea persuasively promised, as much as she could, we finally left.
As predicted, the big truck steadily plowed through the deep snow. There weren’t any tracks to follow. Everything was a pristine, sparkling white blanket and incredibly beautiful. If it wasn’t for the fact that I had the girlchild waiting back home and a rotten girl in the truck with me, I might have enjoyed it. After dropping off the bratty girl, I decided to try the nearby highway for the trip back. It meant an extra two miles, but I figured it would be cleared and travelling much faster. It wasn’t. In fact, there wasn’t a single track to follow, as no one other than this mother who was fed up with her child’s sleepover guest was desperate enough to travel through deep snow. Still, the big truck motored along, kicking up fluffy clouds of snow as we went, reminding me of a big boat moving across a lake. Turning onto the mile road that led to home, I was looking forward to seeing sweetpea’s little face, in the house window. She’d promised to stay put, so I knew she’d be there … waiting. I was within sight of our treed corner, when I heard it. That simple snap of cold metal that said something had just broken. Immediately, the truck stopped forward movement. Just like that, I had gone from driving a four by four, to a two wheel drive. I knew what had happened. One of the locking hubs had broken. There was no way a two wheel drive could move through a good foot and a half deep snow, never mind the deeper drifts. I was done. I was already planning ahead, as I bundled up in the extra winter gear I’d brought along. The tractor would have to be started. I would have to blow snow up to the truck, then after parking the tractor, walk back to fetch the truck. There was no way around it. One did what had to be done. Just as I was about to leave the truck, I saw a sight for sore eyes. A snowplow was coming up the crossroad. It didn’t help my situation directly, but it did make it a whole lot easier. I wouldn’t have to clear that portion of road, to get to the one I was now on. Then it happened. The snowplow got to the corner, stopped and looked my way. I couldn’t make out his features, yet I could certainly tell what he was doing. Understanding the situation I was in, he backed up then turned my way. Instantly, I began to smile. He was going to help me. He plowed right up to the truck, where I already had a tow strap out, then he pulled me onto the cleared section of road. Just like that, his astute kindness had improved my whole day. I thanked him most profusely then hopped back into the truck to drive the short distance home. I even managed to stay in the tracks I had made on the way out, and got the pickup all the way up to the house.
Whose sweet, little grin greeted me from the living room window? Why, the girlchild’s, of course. Just as she’d promised, she was waiting and watching for me. I had to plug in the tractor to clean snow with later, but all was right with the world. We were back to peace and quiet. She was feeling a bit better, and I was feeling a whole lot better. A few minutes later, we were both sipping hot chocolate and enjoying our alone time together.
Great story thank goodness for good people!!!!!!
Yes there are still a few good ones around!