Once again, life has presented a 
great blog. We're still on our way to Plano and were scooting along quite nicely in New Mexico. Hauling the trailer doesn't give us very good gas mileage. The amount of dough we've spent on gas so far would pay for one year of college tuition. The last time we filled up the tank it calculated out somewhere between 6-7 miles per gallon, give or take a pint. The cats are getting skinnier (see last blog). New Mexico is a prelude to Texas. The towns are far and few between. So while we were between towns the gas gage alarm went off. The 'hub' was panicking that we wouldn't make it to the next gas station. I was calm (more like a Dramamine stupor). I garbled out "Don't worry, we'll make it." I was busy working a cryptiquote I didn't want to be bothered with trivial stuff. (Everything seems trivial when your on Dramamine). He made another comment about not making it. I garbled out another response w/out looking up from my crypto. Next thing I know we're pulling over to the side and the 'hub' is saying "That's it. We're done." Crap! A quick call to AAA and we're told that someone will be there to help us out in 20-35 minutes. So we sit, wait and I continue to whip through cryptos. 30 min. later no truck. The 'hub' calls them again. Seems they didn't get our phone number correct or our location. How many times do you have to say "No, not I40 South, we are heading EAST! They assure the 'hub' that someone is on the way and will call to confirm. We sit, wait and I continue to.......well, you know. It's now over an hour. The 'hub' puts on his old, dirty 'look like he rummages through trashcans for food and sleeps in an ally' coat and grabs the gas can. Off he goes up the freeway with the wind howling and snow flying. My stupor has lifted. I set down my crypt. pick up the phone and dial AAA. I have a cheerleader in the back seat. He's the king of confronting poor customer service. My dad proceeds to tell me what to say as I'm waiting for them to pick up. Sometimes he forgets that I am cut out of the same sassy woven cloth that he is. Once I'm connected I'm appalled that they still have us stranded on I40 SOUTH. "NO ........ WE ARE 'CRIKEN' HEADING EAST." I'm assured someone will be there in 15 minutes. So........we sit we wait. Now I'm looking up the freeway anxiously waiting to see the 'hub' come up on the horizon and praying he won't be the headline on the 6 0'clock news. Instead he calls me and tells me that they just called him and told him they would be here in 15 min. He told them to forget it, we didn't need them. So.....we sit, we wait. I'm not interested in cryptos anymore, now I'm ticked off. One of first comments I made to the 'hub' when we began this ordeal was "God is probably keeping us safe from danger up ahead." Now I'm thinking. O.K. God, the only danger that is going to occur on I40 EAST will be instigated by me. Pretty soon I see a little dot on the horizon. It's the 'hub'. Ten minutes later he arrives, sweating and toting 2 gallons of gas that he ran back with for a total of 2 miles. Gas is in, he climbs in, the only difference being he now even smells like someone who sleeps in an alley. He's the whole package. I let it go. (You would agree that to say anything would not be prudent.) He turns the key.......the engine is dead. His head drops, we all sit in silence. Skully and Nacho are even wary to not move or make a peep. So there the three of us are, frozen, not saying a word. You could've heard a pin drop. We watch the 'hub' with wrapped attention, waiting to see what he will do. He climbs out, removes the battery from the camper and my dad and him try to jump the battery. Nothing. The next call for help brings even more sunny news "We'll be there in approximately 45 minutes." We have been sitting on the side of the road for 2 1/2 hours. This is not acceptable to me. So I do what any Dramamine crazed woman would do, I climb out of the car, stand by the side of the freeway and start jumping up and down, waving my hands in the air. Now I ask you. If you were driving down the highway and saw on the side of the road a camper with Utah liscence plates, and a black chevy trailblazer with the hood up and next to it a small framed woman jumping up and down who was in obvious need of assistance would you STOP? I know, I know...so would I. People just passed us by. I couldn't believe it. AYKM! The 'hub' was still behind the car and didn't know I was doing any of this. When he turned around and saw me jumping up in down he yelled "Tami, what are you doing." "What does it look like I'm doing, I'm getting some 'criken' help ." He says, "Move aside, I'll do that." "NO, (determined) just one more car." By this time I have big alligator tears in my eyes. Not so much because of the long ordeal but because of the insensitivity and callousness of my fellow man. My heart was breaking. How could anyone just pass me by w/out even slowing down and checking out the situation. When I was just about to lose it a red van slows down and stops. A big ole' burly fella crawls out of the van and says "What's the trouble." I wanted to tell him the whole sorted sad story, but the 'hub' let it suffice to say "our battery is dead." "Oh, you need it jumped?" "Yes, and we have cables." Lickety split, he turns his van around and in two minutes we are back on the road. Not w/out grateful thanks to him and his wife. The 'hub' even offered to pay him for his trouble. "No trouble. Just have a good day." And off they went. He doesn't know it but he was a redeemer for me today. He redeemed my faith in man. There are still some good peeps out there. With the swallow of another Dramamine and sustenance from the DQ (daddy o sprung for it), we are cruising down the freeway and I'm ready to lose myself in more cryptos. Somewhere, on I40 SOUTH is a tow truck looking for a black trail blazer w/a trailer attached in need of assistance. No tears will I shed for thee!
great blog. We're still on our way to Plano and were scooting along quite nicely in New Mexico. Hauling the trailer doesn't give us very good gas mileage. The amount of dough we've spent on gas so far would pay for one year of college tuition. The last time we filled up the tank it calculated out somewhere between 6-7 miles per gallon, give or take a pint. The cats are getting skinnier (see last blog). New Mexico is a prelude to Texas. The towns are far and few between. So while we were between towns the gas gage alarm went off. The 'hub' was panicking that we wouldn't make it to the next gas station. I was calm (more like a Dramamine stupor). I garbled out "Don't worry, we'll make it." I was busy working a cryptiquote I didn't want to be bothered with trivial stuff. (Everything seems trivial when your on Dramamine). He made another comment about not making it. I garbled out another response w/out looking up from my crypto. Next thing I know we're pulling over to the side and the 'hub' is saying "That's it. We're done." Crap! A quick call to AAA and we're told that someone will be there to help us out in 20-35 minutes. So we sit, wait and I continue to whip through cryptos. 30 min. later no truck. The 'hub' calls them again. Seems they didn't get our phone number correct or our location. How many times do you have to say "No, not I40 South, we are heading EAST! They assure the 'hub' that someone is on the way and will call to confirm. We sit, wait and I continue to.......well, you know. It's now over an hour. The 'hub' puts on his old, dirty 'look like he rummages through trashcans for food and sleeps in an ally' coat and grabs the gas can. Off he goes up the freeway with the wind howling and snow flying. My stupor has lifted. I set down my crypt. pick up the phone and dial AAA. I have a cheerleader in the back seat. He's the king of confronting poor customer service. My dad proceeds to tell me what to say as I'm waiting for them to pick up. Sometimes he forgets that I am cut out of the same sassy woven cloth that he is. Once I'm connected I'm appalled that they still have us stranded on I40 SOUTH. "NO ........ WE ARE 'CRIKEN' HEADING EAST." I'm assured someone will be there in 15 minutes. So........we sit we wait. Now I'm looking up the freeway anxiously waiting to see the 'hub' come up on the horizon and praying he won't be the headline on the 6 0'clock news. Instead he calls me and tells me that they just called him and told him they would be here in 15 min. He told them to forget it, we didn't need them. So.....we sit, we wait. I'm not interested in cryptos anymore, now I'm ticked off. One of first comments I made to the 'hub' when we began this ordeal was "God is probably keeping us safe from danger up ahead." Now I'm thinking. O.K. God, the only danger that is going to occur on I40 EAST will be instigated by me. Pretty soon I see a little dot on the horizon. It's the 'hub'. Ten minutes later he arrives, sweating and toting 2 gallons of gas that he ran back with for a total of 2 miles. Gas is in, he climbs in, the only difference being he now even smells like someone who sleeps in an alley. He's the whole package. I let it go. (You would agree that to say anything would not be prudent.) He turns the key.......the engine is dead. His head drops, we all sit in silence. Skully and Nacho are even wary to not move or make a peep. So there the three of us are, frozen, not saying a word. You could've heard a pin drop. We watch the 'hub' with wrapped attention, waiting to see what he will do. He climbs out, removes the battery from the camper and my dad and him try to jump the battery. Nothing. The next call for help brings even more sunny news "We'll be there in approximately 45 minutes." We have been sitting on the side of the road for 2 1/2 hours. This is not acceptable to me. So I do what any Dramamine crazed woman would do, I climb out of the car, stand by the side of the freeway and start jumping up and down, waving my hands in the air. Now I ask you. If you were driving down the highway and saw on the side of the road a camper with Utah liscence plates, and a black chevy trailblazer with the hood up and next to it a small framed woman jumping up and down who was in obvious need of assistance would you STOP? I know, I know...so would I. People just passed us by. I couldn't believe it. AYKM! The 'hub' was still behind the car and didn't know I was doing any of this. When he turned around and saw me jumping up in down he yelled "Tami, what are you doing." "What does it look like I'm doing, I'm getting some 'criken' help ." He says, "Move aside, I'll do that." "NO, (determined) just one more car." By this time I have big alligator tears in my eyes. Not so much because of the long ordeal but because of the insensitivity and callousness of my fellow man. My heart was breaking. How could anyone just pass me by w/out even slowing down and checking out the situation. When I was just about to lose it a red van slows down and stops. A big ole' burly fella crawls out of the van and says "What's the trouble." I wanted to tell him the whole sorted sad story, but the 'hub' let it suffice to say "our battery is dead." "Oh, you need it jumped?" "Yes, and we have cables." Lickety split, he turns his van around and in two minutes we are back on the road. Not w/out grateful thanks to him and his wife. The 'hub' even offered to pay him for his trouble. "No trouble. Just have a good day." And off they went. He doesn't know it but he was a redeemer for me today. He redeemed my faith in man. There are still some good peeps out there. With the swallow of another Dramamine and sustenance from the DQ (daddy o sprung for it), we are cruising down the freeway and I'm ready to lose myself in more cryptos. Somewhere, on I40 SOUTH is a tow truck looking for a black trail blazer w/a trailer attached in need of assistance. No tears will I shed for thee!
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