Ice Storm and Me

I'm drinking a CapriSun right now. It is Wild Cherry. This is the best thing about my day; perhaps, the only good thing about this day.

I left home in Nashville around eleven A.M. I was in Lexington by 2:00 P.M., right on time. I had a few moments as I was on the highway nearing Lexington when the car shifted. The first two times I thought, "Wow, the wind sure is strong today." I then noticed the trees weren't blowing and so I thought I was hydroplaning. But, it really wasn't raining hard enough for that. The fourth time it happened, I realized that every time it had just happened, I had been under an overpass. It was ice. The road was freezing.

By the time I made it to Lexington, I was starting to think I was crazy. No one else seemed to be affected. But, by the time I stopped just before the I-64 on ramp, I had almost been hit by two other vehicles who were sliding around, and I knew it wasn't just me. The overpass for I-75 was shut down both ways by the time I made it under on I-64 and I was stopped just a few miles past that. For the next 6 1/2 hours, I inched and slid and sped up and slowed down and prayed. My how I prayed. I didn't even cry till I was 5 hours into it. I was kind of proud of that. But, a quick weeping is just what is required every now and then. Once I got it out, I was fine. And, just after I cried, they shut down my side of I-64. I kind of wonder if my superpowers didn't make that happen.

As we sat on the highway, Pete (the dog) had to get out. I thought that would be a good time to see how slick the road was. So, in the dark night midst the sea of parked cars and 18 wheelers, Pete and I got out. I didn't fall, but Pete enjoyed pulling me nonetheless. I planted my feet and he pulled me around. Yes, I'm just here to entertain, gang. Anyway, that's when the truck driver who had been behind me for hours told me to put my right wheels in the grade on the side of the road. Let me tell you, that was an excellent idea.

Jim is at home and so he got on the internet to find me a room. He was able to find a place in Grayson, KY. I only had to make it 17 more miles at that point. Hours later, I'm here at the hotel with a headache the size of Montana. It took me 6 1/2 hours to drive what would normally take 1 1/2 hours.

I've never been caught in an ice storm like this. I always imagined it would be awful. I grew up dealing with snow and I'm not afraid of it, but ice is just a different story. At one point in the trip when I really wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull this off, I programmed in my phone the word "Emergency Numbers" and listed them. But, the worst part of all of it and the part that made it the worst was that if something happened to me, then no one would be able to take care of Pete. Pete is the most nervous dog of all time ("Safety First" is his life motto) and no one could've caught him if he got loose.

And, then, I started to think about how my life was really in danger and I was more worried about my dog and getting the Christmas presents to my family. ...weird.

But, to beat it all? My debit card is lost or stolen. Happy times.

Here's to a much merrier day tomorrow. May your day be filled with Wild Cherry CapriSuns...without ice.

-b