File Under: I Put Makeup on for THIS?

I had a 5:00 meeting for the local arts festival last night.  I took my shower in the afternoon and put on makeup.  Got some images burned to a CD that a fellow artist needed, got my tablet & pen for note-taking all ready, asked the post mistress (and fellow photographer) to bring my mail to the meeting if I didn't make it to the P.O. by the time she left for it, and headed out.

And then the first bridge I drove over broke.  Underneath the front tire.  And the dogs and I all experienced a little loss of gravity as the truck sunk into the hole.

But, let's tell the story in the proper order.

I drove home a week ago tonight with no troubles.  Matter of fact, you can see exactly where the track of my wheels drove (at the sinkhole).  But on Friday morning, this is what I found.  For all I know, the impact of me driving over it may have caused it to finally break through as soon as I was across it!  If you enlarge the picture, you can see that even the moose was deterred as his/her tracks show an abrupt about-face!

A look-see told me that I had a solid 6" of so of hard-packed road gravel to drive on if I skirted around the edge . . . and so I did just that.  V-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y.  So, out on Friday?  Check.

That night, before heading home from town, I'd stolen a 2x8 from Papa Pea in case I needed to bridge the culvert sink-hole on my way back in.  Which was good because I DID need to use it.  (I had plenty of bridge building materials at home at Swamp River Ridge, but I was a little concerned about getting there!)

Here's my little car with the 2x8 and Maisy studiously ignoring the camera.

On Saturday, I knew it was time to see if I could possibly get through on the summertime route (10 miles long and not plowed).

I got this far, about 3/4 of a mile from home, before getting stuck.

I shoveled and shoveled and spread ashes . . . but the snow was just too wet and icy for me to get traction.  So, I gave up and hoofed it home . . . also knowing that the snow would (probably) be melted within a day or two enough for me to drive right out.

Once I got home, and knowing I would have to continue to use the wintertime driveway (until the snow melted more), I headed back down with the car and more bridge materials.

Here's a shot of the "bridge" I'd been using up until this point.  But, the hole was getting wider, and I knew my 2x8 wouldn't suffice forever.

Wider AND deeper!  Note the 2x at the top.

It was time for a bigger, better, stronger White Trash bridge:  a solid (HEAVY!!!) old door.

Voila:  new, sturdier bridge!  (Nuthin' but class around here; nuthin' but class!)

So, that bridge served me perfectly well . . . and my visitors (as I wrote in my previous post)!  Then came the prediction for more snow, though.

So, on Tuesday, the dogs and I hoofed it back out to the stuck truck as the snowflakes began to fall.

My Monday visitors were right:  I could drive it right out!

And then the snow came Tuesday night.

I took this picture yesterday morning.  Looks like a B&W one, doesn't it?!

Tucker surveys the 5 new inches of snow.  Maisy was too disgusted and so didn't even go outside for her morning visit.

There was too much slippery, wet snow to drive the car through, so I had to drive the truck.  Which brings us back to the present . . . to yesterday.

The door I'd used as the new bridge weighed 150 lbs., I'll betcha.  I mean, I had to WRESTLE that thing into and out of the car!  It was "solider" than solid!

Buuuuuuuut, not quite solid enough for the weight of a 1-Ton with a 9' Plow!

#*!@

Which led me to ask one of my office building-mates to stick this on my office door this morning:

Chicken Mama Designs

is Closed Today

I’m home-bound due to deteriorating road conditions.  Once this last snowfall melts, I’ll be able to drive out.  I think!

I hope (?) to be able to make it in on

Saturday & Sunday, the 30^th & 1^st.

In the meantime, I’m working from home.

You can reach me there at:

chickenmama@-------------

or (---) ---------------.

Thank you for your patience & understanding!

And, with that, I'll sign off.  It's taken me the entire day just to get this post written!  (Oh, and yes, I was able to get the truck out and home!)