Toilets and Tires and TGIF

So my day started with the toilet backing up and my very creative and independant 6 year old deciding that the solution would be to continue flushing–until it over flowed. A lot. I mean A LOT! Never mind I say, it’s clean house Friday, so the floor needed to be scrubbed anyway. And because it is my responsibility to teach him how to live without me, I showed him the plunger and explained how to use it. He was too little to push it, so I had to anyway. Damn.

See the tire tracks? That's the direction the van should be heading!

See the tire tracks? That’s the direction the van should be heading!

I get the children to school, slip sliding on my terrible tires all the way. I return home only to get stuck in the snow at the end of my driveway. Naturally my husband and the big strong men who live next door are all away. Determined not to be the helpless little woman, I decide to handle this myself. I haul a couple of rugs out (it’s a long driveway) and put them under the front tires thinking I just need a little traction. Doesn’t budge. Okay, I trudge up and get the shovel and dig around the tires. This is more work than it sounds because I managed to lodge myself in a snowpile up to the top of the tires. No luck.

About this time a good samaritan in a truck stops and offers to help. He has me walk all the way over to the shed to get a smaller shovel. We dig for a while and try. No movement at all. He has me go get sand out of the sandbox, again a long trek. The sand is frozen because the kids never put the lid on the sandbox, so it was wet when it got cold, but I manage to break free half a bucket full. I grab a bag of birdseed for good measure and head back down the drive.

We dig and sprinkle and spin and dig and sprinkle and spin and his wife joins us digging and sprinkling and spinning and I am feeling really guilty for taking up their whole morning when I have just remembered I could call AAA and they would pull me out for free (not really free, I pay a membership fee). I don’t want to tell him that, so I suggest that I taken enough of their time, I will call my husband. He says oh no, I;ll get it.

One might think I intentionally drove into the snowpile, but I swear I turned!

One might think I intentionally drove into the snowpile, but I swear I turned!

I realize that this has become personal challenge for him. I ask if this has become his own challenge and he smiles and says yes and I know he’s not leaving until the job is done. (gotta love these midwest men). I work up a sweat, my hair is wet, my white sweatshirt and face are splattered with mud, but we finally get it out.

He examines my tires, and tells me I need new ones and should get it done today. He then tells me I am not to go up the driveway again, because I will get stuck again. I am to park on the street and then he explains to me how to park so I won’t get stuck there. Last he says do you have $20 bucks? I was startled but say yes of course. He starts waiving his arm and flags down a guy with a snow blade on the front of his truck. He talks to the guy a minute and then turns back to me, saying he’ll be back in half an hour to shovel the drive! Why do I have this weird feeling that I suddenly have two husbands? or maybe its two fathers. Yeah that’s it, my husband would have told me to shovel the drive myself, not pay to have it done.

They leave, and I call my husband. I relate the toilet story and the snow story. I was wrong; I sold my husband short. He did not tell me to shovel the drive. Instead he says, “Sounds like you better pour yourself a drink (never mind its 9:00 a.m), I’ll take care of the drive when I get home.” That’s my man. He knows how to make his woman happy.

Cheers!

Cheers!

Meanwhile, the guy with the snowblade came and plowed the driveway and left. I don’t know whether the first good samaritan paid him, or if he just felt sorry for me. There are so many really good people out there! Thank you, and 

Cheers!

By Lee Brennan on Friday, March 1, 2013

Categories: Funny Kids, Just Laugh Tags: , ,

2 Responses to “Toilets and Tires and TGIFComment RSS feed

  • Lil Sister
    March 1st, 2013 6:33 pm
    #1

    That’s looks familiar… Remember when I drove your van to pick up your kids when school let out early? That’s about where I got stuck. The kids talked me through it and I got out without the help of the overly helpful!

    I do agree. GET NEW TIRES TODAY!

  • Mom
    March 3rd, 2013 8:22 am
    #2

    How can a good mother laugh at her daughter’s problems?…but I am and I do. It’s your fault!