other dog

Happy birthday Paul.

Yep, i've heard that before too. I was on the verge of giving up, but I knew if I did there was going to be a wrecker bill, so I just kept digging.

I was up in Erie, Pa. last week with a van trailer. I missed the turn I was looking for, so I was looking for a place to turn around. But there was so much snow piled everywhere I couldn't find a parking lot I could get into. So I pulled out my trusty Rand McNally at a red light, and it said if I went up this street and turned left, it would take me over to another street where I could make a left, then make another left on the street I was on when I missed the turn, and get back to the street I missed in the first place. So, when I turned left on that street- which was shown in the atlas as a truck route, mind you- I went about a quarter of a mile and saw a sign indicating that there was a 13-2 underpass ahead. Not knowing what else to do, I stopped in the street, pondering my next move. I could back up to the street I had just turned off of easy enough, but then what? It was a major street, too dangerous to back into. I could drop the trailer and bobtail home, but that would have serious repercussions later, for sure. There was some kind of business on my left, and a snow covered driveway going around back of the building. Then a woman came out from that place of business to go to the mail box. She saw me sitting there looking stupid, and she said "there's plenty of room around back to turn around, this happens all the time!" So I thanked her...looked at that driveway...there was no way I could make the turn. The trailer tires would run right into that snow bank. But maybe it was soft, fluffy, snow. I've got to do something, can't sit here all day- so I went for it. The snow was not soft, it was not fluffy, it was hard and crunchy. When the trailer tires hit it, I started spinning. So, i'll just back up, hit it again. Nope, truck won't move. Just sits there and spins like it was tied to the ground. So I get my old piece of shovel out of the tool box. A square point shovel with no handle on it that I found somewhere. I dug out the snow from behind the tires on the left side, the other side was pretty clear. Got back in the truck, tried it again. Will not move- at all. Get out, dig some more. Try it again, nothing. Get out, dig even more, almost down to the ground now. I'm about worn out from digging. Get back in the truck, still won't move. If it would move just 6 inches, I could get out, but it doesn't move an inch, just sits there and spins. Put the transmission in the high side and try it- nothing, goes nowhere. If I don't get out of here soon the cops are gonna be here. Get out, dig and dig with the broken piece of shovel, until I think I might just collapse. Try it again, moves just a little. Pull up, moves about 6 inches, reverse, moves about a foot, pull up, back up, and finally i'm back in the street, dripping sweat. So then I try to back into the driveway and turn around, but I have to pull up and back up about 15 times, because the street is so narrow because of the snow piled up on each side I don't have enough room to swing the cab around. I can only work the trailer over a foot or so each time I pull up. But I do finally get turned around, and back to my original destination. And when I got back, I bought me a square point shovel with a handle on it, in case this happens again. I saw a big Mack truck in Pittsburgh. Then one day I picked up a load of aluminum logs in Petersburg, Va. going to Bristol, Tn. It was snowing, 460 was pretty much covered until I got almost to Roanoke. It was slush and slop...the next morning, it was 9 degrees. The tarps and strap winches were coated in ice. I had to use a hammer and my crowbar to chip the ice off before I could get the straps loose. The fork lift driver waited patiently while I got it untarped and unstrapped. I passed by the NASCAR track in Bristol. The NASCAR track is to the left, the drag strip to the right.

That is a great picture!

That's just funny right there!

Yeah, right, that's a good one! It'll be more like this- Large- "Dad, i've got a-" Dad- "well what do you expect me to do about it, fix your own problem- bye!" Extra Small- "Dad, i've-" Dad- "where are you sweety, i'll be right there!"

Thanks Vlad.

That's a beautiful picture, I had that picture as my screen saver for a long time.

I was one set of chains short of the minimum required in Washington once, and the nice gentleman at the port of entry told me that if the DOT were to check me and found I was one short, the fine would be "pretty substantial".

It is, she works there part time.

A big Mack truck sitting by the Pa. Turnpike. There's some big Mack trucks at Art Reed's place in Montvale too. Summersville Lake, on rt. 39 just before you get out to rt. 19. It's drawn way down now of course, usually it'll be full here. That's an old road bed on the right there, and there's an old bridge abutment that's hidden behind the mirror. Neat machine. Got that new trailer broken in and salted down. It hasn't even been lettered yet. The old trailer is sitting there all cleaned up. A potential buyer was inspecting it. It's been a good trailer, it's on the third truck- the Peterbilt, the T660, and the T800.

I don't know about that, but it is a good show. Seems to me to be a "real" reality show where there is no b.s. about it! The only bad thing about it is I watch it and then i'm too scared to get in the truck and get up the road!

Happy birthday.

Coldest temps. i've ever been in was -26 in Ohio in the 80's. I had to load at Armco in Middletown on a Sunday night. Parked right under the big heating duct when I got in to load, I was the only truck in there. And like you saw, from there back to Lynchburg there were trucks on the shoulder all along the way, with gelled fuel. I was the only truck that H.H.Moore had that was still running. I had enough fuel treatment in the tanks to treat like 4,000 gallons of fuel- seriously, almost as much conditioner as fuel. Then when I got home I found every pipe under the house was frozen. The kids had opened the door going into the crawl space, playing, and left it open. All the pipes were copper too, and they split where it froze. I'd cut out a bad spot, solder in a new piece of tubing, turn the water on, and there would be another leak somewhere else. Still chilly here, supposed to warm up tomorrow though.

Oh yeah, that's the one!

Nice! Gilley's T shirt, yeah she was smokin' hot in that movie they filmed at Gilley's, with John Travolta, can't think of the name of it right now.

So, what do you think of scoopable cat litter?

Yep, that's an industrial type extinguisher, came out of the Du Pont plant in Waynesboro, Va. I used it on the shed fire but it was just too much fire. It was old then, but it worked great. I remember it costing a small fortune to have it refilled too.

I unplugged the drop light I put under the house yesterday morning because I thought I would be leaving. Now the water's frozen again, so I plugged it back in. I'm waiting for it to thaw so I can take a shower before I leave for Pittsburgh. Looks like it won't be getting above freezing around here until Monday.

That's OK, the Biscayne is long gone.

Oh well, opening a can of worms so to speak...2nd. Chronicles, 2nd. Kings. The Lord blessed those who shunned all others... Good for Donald Trump for standing up to those who oppose him, and standing up for biblical principals!

I don't know how his six shooter holds at least 39 bullets, so don't ask!

I've been seeing this movie on TV a lot lately, never saw or even heard of it before until the last year or so. It's a really good western! I came to the conclusion that Kevin Costner is more bad-ass than Clint, just from this one scene!

Now that's a good movie. So was "Stripes", but back when Clint was on a roll, all the Harry Callahan movies, Pale Rider, Josie Wales- didn't get much better!

That reminds me of a poem I heard many years ago- many years. "When I was young, and didn't have no sense- I peed upon an electric fence. It singed my hair, and scorched my balls... and made me shit in my overalls!" Author unknown.