He grabbed me around my slender neck

Day 1 -- doggy day-care! NOT!

I've been left alone for the next few days as our son is off to Florida and the wife is off to Missouri. This means I've been left with animal chores and day one has not gone well, but more on that later.

The snow and wind moved in yesterday and depending on the best liar, we received anywhere from 3 to 5 inches. The storm itself was not bad but with all the fluffy snow it did blow into the driveway. As always when the wind blows the neighbors come out to play. Our drive alone was cleaned 3 times by three different neighbors, but alas this morning I was forced to start my own snowblower as it drifted back in over the evening. It wasn't bad and in fact it was the first time, I've had to really move my own snow.

The dogs are OK and in fact watching Snickers watch over the pup Libby has been enjoyable. The pup can be a pest and when Snickers has had enough, she walks off and makes it known that play time is over.

So this afternoon we load up and head over to to feed the rest of the livestock. This means feeding 2 horses, 2 rabbits, 3 cats and 4 or 5 fish. We drive over early as it's a nice day and I need to replace a power supply in a computer. When we get there I notice that Number 1 Son has not cleaned his drive and remember we had more snow. So I decide to park at the end and go get the tractor and that is when the trouble starts.

I start to pull in off the road and the tires spin. Of course I took the wifes car as it was cheaper to drive. I stop, put it in reverse and nothing happens except the sound of me being screwed. Car is half off the road and I can't go forward or backwards. the management team in the back are now aware that they may have to walk a little.

So I get out to assess the issue and of course the management team jumps out to see if the horses are OK. They are quick to come back as they see me pull a shovel out of the back thus they decide that it was more important to watch over the situation and manage the problem. I shovel around the car and I even shovel the pup into the ditch a few times. She hasn't learned that management should be done from a distance in-case the working staff has a short fuse.

I quickly determine that no amount of shoveling was going to work as the car was headed slightly downhill and the front wheel drive was on ice under the snow. I look around, saw nothing that would aid me, and I also thought that this was a good time to be in Arizona.

After a few futile attempts. I decide to head off to the barn and see what I could use. All I could find was some old hay so I grabbed it and headed back. All along the two dogs are chatting back and forth. I'm sure they were saying that this would not work. After stuffing it under the wheels I get in and try to back out. Nothing happened of course. I look out and both dogs are sitting there with that look of “ I told ya so”.

I look back at them and because no-one else was around, I asked them what we should do next. Of course Snickers spoke up and said that there was a tractor in the shed and maybe I could use the bucket to clear a way into the yard. So we all walked back to the machine shed and went into the shop area. Now I see a pile of trash piled in front of the door leading out into the shed and I actually thought of just leaving, but the dogs insisted I could get around it. We did of course and I made it over the mountain and started the tractor.

Then I go to the big shed doors and unlock them. I give them a shove and nothing moves. So I go back outside to take a look. The dogs stay inside, as they understand that if the motor is running on the tractor I will be coming back. Besides they didn't want to climb mountain “crap”.

What I found outside was the doors are all iced in. I shoveled away the snow and some ice, but I could tell that the door would not move unless by an act of GOD. So I went back in, shut off the tractor and told the dogs, that we would get it out around May of this year.

Now I'm stumped. I have a car half-way off the road, my son and wife are gone for about a week, and I have a management team that wants me to play with them. So as I contemplate calling a wrecker,

I suddenly remember the neighbors name down the road apiece. I go inside and Google his name and thank s to Google I had his number.

I call explain the issue and he was glad to come down. All I needed was someone to shove me back a little but he comes with a field tractor and with a little tug of the chain, I was out of there. We chatted a little and then he was off. This makes you glad you live in a place where someone will drop what their doing and come to help.

I do my chores and we head home. My management team sitting in the back and I could tell they were discussing my “SMARTS”. So I turned to them and informed each of them if they didn't quit barking, we were coming back by sled over the weekend and they would be pulling it.

I think they knew I was bluffing as they just cocked their heads and stared at me. They know I have a 4-wheel drive truck and that I wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Bye for now.