The Dynamic Duo

So much is happening in World UltraMom I hardly know where to begin. If you were to ask the “boys” (Murphy and Rowdy, of course!), a little TOO much is happening and is keeping UltraMom, slave of poodles away from home far too much. They like the weekends that we have been spending at UltraDad’s country home in Ruby Valley: a nice ride in the car, getting to see Dad and then lots and lots of attention.
We have actually just returned from one such excursion. UltraDad has been getting very little time off, as we are in the midst of a winter the likes of which noone around here has seen since ’83-84, as related to UltraDad by a Ruby Valley oldtimer. It occurs to me that Jimbo was born in that winter, and I think back trying hard to remember if that was a particularly bad, snowy winter in Idaho. Yes, come to think of it, I do believe it was.
UDad is working on the tail end of a month of working nights, heroically trying to keep the roads plowed open. This weekend he actually ends up getting two days off, though he had to stay around, just in case. He was able to spend part of Friday in Carlin, and after I got off work, we caravaned back to Ruby Valley. On Saturday, we play cribbage, cook and watch an old Johnny Cash movie, The Pride of Jesse Hallam, about a young widower with two kids who is illiterate. To the backdrop of Johnny Cash songs, proud Jesse pays for his daughter’s scoliosis operation, takes his wayward son in hand, and learns to read. Really, not a bad movie. We also watch an episode of The Cisco Kid, one of my childhood favorites. The title is “The Phony Sheriff”, and opens with Cisco and Poncho moving a herd of cattle. The phony sheriff, whom they don’t yet know is phony, inspects the herd and says the brands have been tampered with. He and his cohorts are ready to string up our heroes to save the law abiding taxpayers the expense of a trial. But with diversion, a little fisticuffs and some very slow reacting bad guys, Cisco and Poncho ride away to fight another day. My favorite line comes later when the pretty woman is sheltering the phony sheriff and tells Cisco she has not seen him, when obviously the guy has just been there. I mean, his horse is tied up outside. “Miss,” says Cisco sternly, “You are being very annoying.” Strong words indeed! Meanwhile, the bad guy is unsaddling Cisco’s horse and making his escape. Of course Cisco can’t chase him until he resaddles the horse. Can you imagine what his fancy black suit would look like with horsehair all over its, uh, posterior?
Sunday afternoon, we take a drive in the pickup through Secret Pass to see if the “Road Closed” sign means what it says. Turns out, if it does, it shouldn’t. The road is fine, and we decide to go on to Elko for lunch and a few more groceries for UltraDad. At KFC, we order an 8-piece meal. That way, UDad will have some leftovers for the next day or two. As promised, I save some prime chicken scraps for the “boys” who have been patiently waiting in the car. On the way back to the Valley, I grab a few ‘Zzs’. All too soon, its time for UltraMom and the poodles to head back home.
This was a much nicer going-home drive than the one we had last Sunday. That day the roads were terrible. It was questionable if I could even make it home going the long way through Wells, but I followed UDad’s coworker, Chick, who was on the snowplow, and made it to Wells on ice and snow covered roads with very poor visibility in patches. I thought I had it made as I booked it down the Interstate towards Elko. Suddenly, I was skidding on some treacherous black ice. I can never remember what you are supposed to do in case of a skid, at least not while I am skidding. Steer which way? Do what with the brakes and gas? Fortunately, no one else was on the road right then as I went back and forth across the highway, ending up in the median in a deep pile of snow, which probably kept us from further harm, both to ourselves and to the car. I found the “Emergency Winter Road Kit” in my trunk and got out the little, telescoping shovel. How to make the handle stop collapsing? Finally I just started digging with the head of the shovel. A very nice young couple stopped. They had a bigger shovel, and also knew how to lock mine straight. But we couldn’t dig it out. I was just too packed into the snow. I only had to wait an hour for a Triple A certified tow truck to come pull me out. The car was driving fine, and I was really looking forward to getting home and out of my wet boots. But when I got to my street, I could see that Ruby Valley wasn’t the only place that had had a lot of snow that weekend. There was a huge mound in front of and in my driveway. I parked in the street, put the dogs in the house and started shoveling. So that is what I was doing while you were enjoying your exciting Super Bowl game! At least I didn’t have to use that floppy little travel shovel on my driveway. I’m trying to look on the bright side here.
On the Road Again,

UltraMom