In Honor of Art Linkletter

A couple weeks ago James didn't get a real good night's rest. A neighbor of ours has a truck and trailer that gets parked on the side of the road from time to time. James always hears it pull up, gets out of bed, zips the blinds up (nothing slow, get those blinds up NOW,) opens the window and listens. 2am.

Yes, it's the truck and trailer. But he doesn't go back to sleep. Poor guy.

In the morning the conversation goes a bit like this:
"James, when I drove by the trailer it looked like the guy parked it pretty far onto the side of the road."

"Yeah, it's leaning pretty good into the ditch."

In the afternoon, Reyde and I are driving home. As I round the curve I see the truck and trailer on the side of the road. This is odd, it is usually gone by the time I get home. The guy is rocking the truck back and forth. Seems he got it stuck. But as I drive closer, I realize that "that guy," is my husband with our truck and race car trailer.

I roll down my window and casually say, "I'll park my car and come push."

"What good will that do?" Comment and tone said it all.

Instantly I judge the situation. We just talked about that other guy almost getting stuck. It rained and the ground is soft. I look over at our neighbors long gravel driveway next to the other neighbors long asphalt driveway. Why didn't James just park there? Well that must be a girl way of thinking.

Reyde and I get in the house, I change my shoes and walk over to "help."

James is driving the excavator along the side of the road. Chains up the front end of the truck and tells me to ease out of the ditch steering to the right.

Mind you, this is the first time I've driven the dually truck and let out the clutch. And what do you mean steer to the right? How far?

"Okay, I'll do it. "

"#$^!&@ I hope this doesn't roll over."

"James, if it does it does. No one is hurt and it can be fixed. That's what you would tell me."

I get in and move the seat so I can press the clutch down. Leaning to the right pretty far, I decide that a seat belt might be a good thing. Don't want to roll it over and find myself in the passenger seat.

Clutch release and steering to the right and we are out of the ditch. Thank God.

Now what does this all have to do with my title, "In Honor of Art Linkletter?"

Saturday morning Reyde and I head out to the race track. As we drive by the drainage ditch and see the freshly graded dirt, Reyde asks:

"Mom why did Dad go rock crawling in the creek?" I laughed out loud.

"Oh, he didn't mean to."