Snowy Ride to BOCES

My school cannot close unless all the sending districts shut down, and they rarely do. Remember this is the Great North Land where men are men and sheep are scared...no, not really. That is one of Matt's redneck jokes. But men are men here and women are just as courageous about going out on the roads. Heck, they would just as soon jump in their snowmobiles and take them to work. I waited as long as I could and called the school office. Yep, we have school. I figured if I could get home from NJ Sunday night on black ice I could get to school in the daylight on snowy roads. And I did...just going slowly and enjoying the scenery. The only time I slid was when I slowed down to snap a picture of some Haflinger horses around a hay feeder in the snow...kept right on going! The tires I got last winter from the place across the street from my school are fantastic. Studded snows, whoah, baby, I can go anywhere. Prior to buying those tires the Red Rocket slid all over the place. Have to rewind the VHS cassette of my life for a moment...I was trying to get home from Voorhees High School in a driving snow storm - the kind that comes off the ocean and shuts down New Jersey. Here we have this delightful Lake Effect Snow, that drifts prettily down, but doesn't stop and piles up several feet of snow! I was trying to get over a giant hill called Jugtown Mountain. My truck skidded sideways and then backwards into a ditch. I was slightly frantic as cars and trucks past me, drivers gripping their steering wheels with frozen expressions, ignoring this little red truck gone sideways and front end up. I had no idea what would become of me, when I saw a little red jeep pass me and look over the situation. The jeep went on and it seemed an eternity, when I noticed the same jeep pull up in front of me. The driver had gone up and over Jugtown Mountain and come back to help me! A young man got out and pulled a big coil of mountain climbing rope out of the back of his jeep. He came over to my window and said, very matter-of-factly, "I am going to pull you out of the ditch and over the hill," and he went about tieing us together. I was already wondering how I could fix this guy up with my daughter. He was not only gorgeous, he was already my hero! The little jeep strained and swished around but away we went. When he unfastened us he deftly rewound the rope as if he had done it the same way a thousand times. I had found two $20 bills in my bag and made him take them. He said no, but I said PLEASE buy some dinner for yourself! I still amazed at the young man's skill and generosity with his time. I had to be helped once again before I made it over the Delaware and home that night, much less dramatically, thank Goodness. Now that I have these terrific tires I am much better off, then there is my big white F150, which is usually full of Matt's tools and uses too much gas for my liking. I prefer the Red Rocket to Moby Dick anyway.