'Allo, I am Jacque Cousteau

It just seems like there's a whole other ecosystem out here in the boonies. It's a unique set of weather at times it seems and with that, comes it own set of rules.

During the storm last week, we were all stuck here, the snow, blowing so hard that if we wanted to scoop ourselves out, it would have only filled back in within hours, if not minutes. So we did what any civilized pretend cattle rancher does.... We made some stew and hunkered down.

Makes for a sucky paycheck when you miss a few days work, for the record.

All the sudden, along comes a truck. One of the very few of the day, 2-3 tops. Of course this draws our attention, and even moreso when he pulls into our drive, and then sits there for 15 minutes. Eventually, he gets out, and comes to the house. Turns out it's our neighbor from a 1/4 mile away, and he's gotten stuck and dug himself out THREE TIMES in that 1/4 mile. For what it's worth, it's another mile to the highway, and there's 3 big drifts just in front of our house on the road alone. One at least 2-3 feet deep.

He comes in, we talk a while and he's in a quandry. Wife needs to get home, yet no one can get through. He can't go back down the road he just came.

He finally decides, if he cuts across our yard, and through the extra acre (which we let grow up), that he can make it to the field and drive across it to get home. Which is a good theory, but in practice, not so much:

Don't worry, he's ok. So is the dog that was with him. He left the dog, walked across the field home, and got his ATV stuck too.



Meanwhile, back at the ranch:

While one drama is unfolding on the right, another is developing on the left. Someone is trying to go east. Why? No idea. But he does not have a big old pick up truck. Or a snowmobile, or a helicopter.

Dude is STUCK.

Eventually he dug himself out, backed up a 1/4" and left. Smart thinkin' my friend.



But the other dude is still stuck in my yard!

Eventually our other neighbor drove across the field from the other direction (at this point I'm eating stew.. so I had dinner AND a show) and brings a big truck to haul him out.

Ya know, I felt kinda bad. I really wanted to help, but since my own vehicle was buried:

And I couldn't get the new 4 wheel drive one out of my own back yard...
I determined "Survival of the Fittest" mode.

Cuz dude, I have my own problems:

" 'Allo, ze name iz Lana, and I vill trek to ze mailbox. Please observe"

Eventually 4 years later, a super corvette looking road grader came by. Probably cuz my loving husband calls and reminds them (nicely) that we have no services.... can't get to work, and by golly thank god no one is pregnant down here and went to squeeze one out. (Mainly me) because a baby would have definitely been born in a less than favorable conditions.

No kidding.

The corvette grader guy said "We'll try to come by at least once" and you know what? I think they showed up and said "what the HECK!" and decided to make 4 more passes.

(I guess it pays to leave a pie with them at Christmas)


Then a backhoe came and cleaned out the ends of driveways (after we scooped on it for an hour).

Oh, then a bobcat came too (the neighbors).

Twice!


I only have one other problem...

There is a russian sub surfacing in my back yard!

Send help!