Spinning Tires

Well I had the most interesting experience the other day. As I told you we had a blizzard here. There was a lot of snow and we have had some small amounts of additional snow to add to what came in the blizzard.

For such a small town we are fortunate that the gas station comes out and clears the streets for us when it snows. Usually that leaves a small edging of snow at the sides of the street including across the driveway.

For me that is no problem. I have 4-wheel drive and I am an experienced driver of many types of vehicles. I get in and out easily.

After the blizzard the edgings left by the snow plow are still quite high. My yard looks like a pie with a tall crust at the outer edges. At the corner the mounds of snow are not only about waist high but they form small mountains. That is where the snowplow deposits the majority of  snow it has pushed from the street.

I was sitting at my computer the other day and kept hearing the sounds of car doors slamming shut. That is not unusual. The woman across the street is even older than I am. She has many visitors especially when her family feels she needs to be cared for like after the blizzard. So I did not pay much attention.

Then I began hearing the spinning of tires along with the slammings. Perhaps the youngsters from the next block had hauled out the 4 wheelers they like to ride. Slipping in the snow would be great fun to a teenager. I went back to reading my news on the computer.

I saw a movement through my closed window blinds. It must have been a trick of my eyes though. Nothing was moving there. Back to my computer.

Then I saw a movement again. Perhaps my son had a package being delivered. I rose to greet the UPS man at the door.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to see what I thought was a young man trying to get his car out of the crust of the pie that is my yard! Later I would see that he was not so young. Probably in his forties.

It looked like he had been driving too fast and when he intended to turn at the corner his car slid instead and ran up over the edging left by the snowplow.

I stood in the door watching him for quite some time. He had run up to grab the snow shovel from beside my house and would frantically dig at the snow packed under his car. Then he would get back in his car and step on the gas as hard as he could, spinning his tires to try to dislodge the car from the snow. Then he would jump out and shovel some more.

This man had no coat on and it was freezing outside. He wore his pants stylishly... they kept showing more of his underwear than he intended though. His pants would slide down further and further. They fell to his ankles more than once.

Finally he noticed me standing there. He wanted to know if I had any kitty litter or anything he could use to get some traction. I told him I had some salt for the sidewalk and reached for the bag.

He told me he had already used all of it.

Then he decided I could push him out with my vehicle. In the first place my vehicle is an SUV and his was a small car. Things do not line up and we would have both had broken lights at the very least. (I noticed later that broken lights would not be a problem for him. All of his were already broken and his car was pretty beat up. This was not the first time he had a mishap.) Secondly I pointed out that there is an old tree stump buried in the snow and I would not try to drive over it.

He assured me we could place a plastic trash can I keep for sticks and that sort of thing between the two vehicles and no lights would break. I reminded him of the tree stump. Oh yeah.

Then he told me that if I had a tow chain I could pull him out. I do not have a tow chain.

He found a length of tow rope in his trunk. It was about 6 feet long. We could use that to pull him out.

I had been observing and talking to him long enough to know that he was high on something. I do not know enough about drugs to know which ones make a person act the way he was but I really wanted him gone.

I went and knocked on my son's door. I told him I was going to go out to see if I could help the guy enough to see him gone.

I was afraid that if he somehow managed to free himself from the pile of snow going forward that he would end up in my kitchen. Car and all.

So I went out and started my vehicle. I still was not sure what I was going to do if anything. I pulled into the street but back a ways from the car.

He was still trying frantically to spin the car out.

My son came out and I suggested that he and I try to push as the other guy steered to see if our manpower along with the power of the car would work. It was worth a try.

I instructed the man to get in his car and GENTLY step on the gas as we pushed. I kept telling him GENTLY. I said that I was old and did not want to fall and hurt myself.

Suddenly Mr Charm was trying to flatter me by telling me I was not old. My son looked up and angrily said, "She's older than she looks!!"

I still think if I had been driving the car we could have pushed it off the snow. By putting the car into reverse and creating a rocking motion by stepping GENTLY on the gas and then letting off along with people pushing at the same time it would have moved.

But no. The guy did not understand the concept of GENTLY.

Finally we agreed to try to pull him out with my vehicle. My son would supervise as the guy fastened the strap to the two vehicles.

I told him to make sure the guy did not try to fasten it to my rear bumper. I cannot afford to have it reattached. And make sure whatever he hooked it to would not come off easily.

The first thing he did was hook it to the bumper. My son adamantly refused to let it stay there. After some discussion the guy was convinced that the bumper was not the place to use.

After much discussion and many tries and several pauses to pull pants back up we were fastened.

I told my son to make sure he was in neutral and not reverse. The fool would have backed right into the back of my vehicle with his heavy foot.

The guy wanted me to step on my gas and jerk him out. I know better and was getting ready to call off the whole thing. Finally I just slowly pulled him out. He jumped out of his car and unfastened the end of the strap from my vehicle. I pulled around the corner to get out of his way.

Without a thank you or goodbye he pulled up his pants and jumped into his car. He stomped on the gas and took off. The last we saw of him he was driving toward the main highway.

So my kitchen still has no car in it. My yard is relatively unchanged. My vehicle is safe. Isn't winter fun?