In the Ditch

Well, I finally did it: I hit black ice this morning going down to Marshfield with Lara and we slid off the road and landed in a farmer's field. Thank Goodness I was not going more than 50 mph and we did not hit anything; the deep snow in the field cushioned our landing. We probably had a drop of about 8' off the highway. At first I didn't think I would be able to get us out because the truck just spun its wheels as I rocked us back and forth trying to get some traction. I tried calling Tom, but the cell phone wouldn't work. I thought about what I should do because I was not going to leave Lara alone in the truck; then I got mad. I said to myself, "This is a new Dodge Ram truck. If I can't get us out of here with this truck, I'm going to write Dodge a letter!" So, I got out of the truck and assessed our position, making sure we were all in one piece; then I rocked us back and forth until I had enough forward movement to put the truck in 4-wheel drive; then I put us in reverse and hit the gas. The 4-wheel drive dug in and I was able to back us up through the snow using our entry tire tracks almost up the slope to the highway. I braked and checked the highway for traffic, then put us in forward and turned the truck around so it was heading North, hit the gas, and we went up the slope and back onto the highway. I drove to the nearest street and turned the truck around (after giving my thumping heart a few minutes of rest), then we headed back onto the highway going South toward Marshfield. Not far down the road from where we slid, we passed a bad three vehicle accident, so I think the black ice was wide spread. Lara and I made it to Marshfield in time for our appointment, and thankfully, Lara was ok. Her cystogram was good and they removed the Foley catheter, so we are able to catheterize her as we did before the surgery. The only difference now is that we need to irrigate her bladder twice a day so we need to use a larger size catheter. Lara is happy to be rid of her "tubes".

I made orders to Fedco Seeds, Organic Growers Supply and Totally Tomatoes today. I am going to make my own pest control mix this year using Garlic Barrier and crushed hot peppers. Since none of the deer repellents I used last year worked, I might as well try an organic mix of my own!

I sent off my County tree order today. I ordered 25 hickory trees, more elderberries and I got some witch hazel trees. Those don't get too big, are pretty, and are a good medicinal to have around.

That's all for now. Peace in Wisdom Be on Earth and Among All Creatures!