We had ourselves a
charming little storm over the weekend. Saturday? Rain. All. Day.
Warm-ish temps that melted two feet of snow, which is the North
Country’s way of taunting you: “Look. Ground!. . . Just kidding.”
Now, anyone with a
weather app and a functioning frontal lobe could’ve looked at
Sunday’s forecast—which was basically flashing IMMINENT
BLIZZARD
in Vegas-sized letters—and thought, “Hey, maybe we should fill
the tractor and that extra diesel can while we still know where they
are and don’t need a search party with avalanche beacons.”
But no. That
would’ve been smart. Efficient. Predictable. And let’s be
honest—nobody wants to read that
story:
“Saturday—weather
mild. Diesel topped off. Tractor prepped. Storm handled smoothly. The
end.”
Wow. Thrilling.
Coming soon to a library section labeled “For Insomniacs.”
Instead, here’s
how it actually went down:
Saturday:
Jim and my grandson
spent the day not
preparing. They busied themselves with “various things”—a
suspiciously vague category that usually involves moving junk from
one spot to another and then standing around admiring the new
location. Jim then retired for his sacred afternoon nap—because
nothing says “crisis readiness” like a coma. (To be fair, Jim
spends the week away—working twelve-hour days after a three-hour
drive on Monday, then making the three-hour trip back home on
Friday—so by the weekend he’s running on fumes.) That night, they
ran taxi service for Grandson’s work shift, then Jim and I watched
a movie—probably something in the Man
Fails to Plan, Wife Simmering Silently
genre.
Sunday:
Grandson and Jim
went to church. I stayed home, nobly protecting the congregation from
the tail end of my flu (and myself from the tyranny of socially
presentable clothes). Meanwhile—snow. All. Day. Long. It fell like
a snow globe being shaken by a toddler on espresso. We watched it
pile up while watching another movie, which felt less like relaxation
and more like a disaster film where the audience is screaming, “FUEL
THE TRACTOR, YOU FOOLS!”
Monday:
Welcome
to Dumb Decision Consequences, Population: Us
Grandson started
plowing the driveway. Yay! Two bars of fuel. Not yay. The tractor was
wheezing like a two-pack-a-day smoker climbing stairs. Jim was
dispatched to find the gas can—last seen somewhere under a drift
big enough to apply for its own zip code.
Grandson cleared
just enough for Jim to get the truck out. Jim went to town for diesel
while Grandson kept plowing—stopping at one bar because Jim has
repeatedly
said, “Don’t you ever let that tractor run outta gas or I’ll. .
. [insert vague, dad-level threat here].” So Grandson came inside,
mission technically accomplished.
Jim returned, saw
the tractor parked, and instantly turned into a one-man weather
event. I “calmly” (read: in that special wife-tone that can
curdle milk) reminded him that he
was the one who didn’t want the tractor to run dry, and Grandson
was following orders.
Cue the stomp. Jim
marched outside, dumped diesel into the tractor with all the drama of
a man betrayed by his own logic, and then plowed like he was trying
to exorcise 47 years of marital tension.
Grandson, now
feeling underappreciated, retreated to his drum set to pound out his
angst—loudly, repeatedly, possibly in Morse code. I made lunch
while the house filled with two dueling soundtracks: metal-on-gravel
from outside, and wood-on-cymbals from downstairs. Meanwhile, snow kept falling like a heavenly middle finger.
Tuesday
Morning (a.k.a. Snowverload: The Sequel):
We woke to another
six inches, because apparently winter’s feelings were hurt and this
was revenge.
Before heading to
work, Jim refilled the diesel can again. I’d love to say this was
evidence of personal growth or a newfound respect for
preparedness—but let’s be real. He needed to take the truck this
week. I was left with his car, and nothing motivates a man like the
mental image of diesel sloshing around in a gas can on the nice
carpet of his sedan's trunk.
Moral of
the Story:
Always
fuel the tractor before
the storm. Or don’t. Just make sure the diesel can never rides in
the good
car. And for the love of everyone’s sanity, put soundproofing
around the drum set.