Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Stuck! In My Own Frickin' DRIVEWAY...



Florida’s looking pretty damned good right about now.

I should have known better, but…I just had to try it. After over an hour of rocking, digging, cursing, swearing, and various and sundry other things, two neighbors and I managed to get the Green Hornet out of the road. And there she sits.

My tires are most, if not all, of the problem. Goodyear Eagle F1s are great in the dry and better than most "performance" tires in the rain, but they absolutely suck in snow. As a matter of fact, Goodyear specifically tells you not to attempt to drive in snow on the things. So much for paying attention to the book, eh?

Looks like I’m stuck on the premises until we get some serious melting. I’m so glad I stocked up last Friday. But I am going to quit smoking… involuntarily, of course. No comments on the smoking bit, please. I know it’s bad, I know it’s a character flaw, I know it’s killing me. You can’t tell me anything I don’t know about smoking. Except to suggest a foolproof (read that as: successful) method of quitting, perhaps.

11 comments:

  1. Heh, I'm more of a cigar guy myself.

    And we had trouble getting out the parking lot Monday morning for PT...the plows came through and cleared the lot, but left the snow piled up right behind the rows of parked cars.

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  2. Hmm... Doesn't seem like enough snow to be stuck in to me, but then I've always lived in the snow belt. I wonder if I have any old snow pictures electronically. I'll have to look.

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  3. Poor Buck, poor Hornet:( I guess you will have to change the name of you car to Hockey Puck. Here in OK, we are calling our car, Mud Dawg.

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  4. Pepperments and straws helped me kick a two pack a day habit and I quit "cold turkey". I still crave I just choose different these days. That was over 20 years ago.

    It looks like your snow has packed in there like ice on the side of your freezer compartment. We have been very lucky this winter everything has slid north of where I live. Maybe the big meltdown is coming soon!

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  5. Maybe you should invest in an old 4x4 pickup for the winter. LOL! Weather shows more snow coming next week. Hubby got out fine Saturday down the dirt road, but then that wind hit and blew snow out of a wheat field onto the same road and he got stuck Sunday. Had to get the tractor instead.

    As for smoking. My husband (then fiance) gave me an ultimatim. Him or cigarettes. Most of the time I think I picked the right one. I only had 4 years invested in smoking, so it wasn't too hard. My father is trying to quit, yet again. But usually in the end my stepmother would rather put up with the smell and all that goes with cigarettes than my father's foul mood and he goes back to it. I found keeping gum, mints, and my teeth brushed really helped. Liked that clean mouth feeling.

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  6. I'll be cleaning out the cigar stash when I run out of cigs, Mike. It'll pain me to smoke those Partagas inside. Up til now I'd reserved them for balmy evenings...outside.

    Laurie sez: Doesn't seem like enough snow to be stuck in to me...

    In most cases it wouldn't be. But the combination of wide performance tires and ICE equals no traction. One of the neighbors who helped push me back into the drive way asked "What kind of tires are those? They look like racing slicks with grooves." Yep. That's what they are, basically.

    Thanks for the tips, Dale. And you're right about the snow/ice. It does look like an undefrosted ol' fridge!

    Mud Dawg, eh, Lou? And probably too cold to wash the thing, too!

    LOL on the pickup thingie, Jenny. I had "winter cars" when I lived Up Nawth. But here? This really is the longest cold spell I've experienced since I've been here, which is over four years now, and most certainly is the most snow and ice I've seen. And: I'm like your father... I get ill tempered when quitting, which I've done more than a few times. It ain't pretty...

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  7. You don't want to come to Florida Buck as we are freezing. Its 48 degrees and damp. I had to wear long pants and a jacket to work today. I like the Goodyear Arrivia tire. We did the snow and ice test on them and they impressed me.

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  8. Dan sez: Its 48 degrees and damp. I had to wear long pants and a jacket to work today.

    In the immortal words of Maynard G. Krebs: "Work? WORK!?!"

    As for the 48 degrees comment, I can only resort to the time-honored "Aw... SHADDUP!" :-)

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  9. What about the Beer stash?

    I would be setting General Quarters, if I was down to my last 12 pack. Nothing says "trapped", more than being out of beer and snacks.

    Got yer boots? 782 Gear? Travois, for the heavy stuff?

    Good luck!

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  10. Buck: driving on ice in a 4WD Jeep with moosey tires designed for the task is damned near impossible. Believe me, living in New England provides a bevy of options to challenge the winter driver...Sah-weet little ride though...

    Quitting smoking: ever seen a photo of a lung with emphysema???

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  11. dc sez: What about the Beer stash?

    Not to worry on that front, dc. I have a ten day supply of Fat Tire (at least). And there's always the single malt if or when the beer is exhausted. Truth be told I don't consume that much when I'm alone. I'm a "social drinker" in the truest sense of the term...

    Kris: I hear you. Nothing works on ice, unless you're doing this! I speak from some experience, as well: ten years in Detroit; four years in Rochester, NY; and one year, three days, eight hours and ten minutes at Fortuna AFS, North Dakota.

    :-)

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.