The rescue

[Anonymous Poster]

By today the road is a quagmire of the worst sort. Weve had well over ten inches of rain the last two weeks, I don't know for sure, I stopped keeping count.

Jill got stuck coming in Friday night at eleven o'clock, way at the end of the road. When she didn't show up for her eleven o'clock curfew I knew right where she was but I was still worried that I would get down there and she wouldn't be there, but was stuck somewhere further away, and I knew I wasn't going to get my truck out to go after her.

I backed the tractor out, trying to find the gears and reverse in the dark and off I to went to fetch her. I'm also scared of the dark so this was an adventure. I know.....I'm a hopeless scaredy cat. One mile down this sluggy muggy cow path, wind spitting rain in my face, all kinds of imaginary creatures poised in the weeds at the side of the road just waiting to jump out and rip me to ribbons.

I was so glad to see her when I found her so that I wasn't alone anymore, that I got all mushy.

"Oh, mom, I didn't know what to do! I was afraid you wouldn't come, and I would have to walk!"

"How could I leave my baby out in the mud!?" Sniff sniff. "Now get your behind on this tractor with me, I'm askeered."

"I'm skeered too." She climbed up onto the step and wrapped her arms around my neck, thought she was going to strangle me.

"It would be better if you held onto the roll bar." I croaked.

Back home we went, her watching one side of the road, me watching the other. When we got to the really bad part I shouted at her over the rumble of the tractor and the thunder.

"If this thing starts to slide toward the ditch and I yell at you to jump off, you do it NOW! You hear me? When you hit the ground you roll, run, do whatever you have to do, but get to the back of the tractor. Get BEHIND it!"

Fortunately my sweet Massey Ferguson carried us through the pit and sacheted into the yard in fine style, I stroked the steering wheel lovingly.

"I love you baby." I said stupidly.

I would swear I heard her say she loved me too, but I think it was just the tires sucking themsleves out of the mud. I deposited my grateful daughter beside the porch and put the tractor back to bed. The truck would just have to wait. Shame on it for letting itself get stuck. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Glad it turned out well.

I know what you mean with all the rain it is getting to me as well. Last night I actually had a nightmare that the horses got washed down the road by a flood. In the dream it was more like a tidal wave, sort of like a dambreak. Worst parrt was all the horses were fine but we couldn't find my horse until later.

I may be cracking up but if you looked at what was washing down my driveway yesterday it wasn't THAT far-fetched!

 

[Chief]

Cindi, I hate to sound like the "Safety Nazi" but you should NEVER allow a rider on your tractor unless it has a seat and seat belt inside the ROPS protection zone on the tractor. I cannot tell you how many articles I have read of people, adults & childeren slipping off and being crushed by the tires or being thrown from the tractor when it rolled and crushed. It may seen like you are being overyly safety conscious but just DON'T do it. All it takes is one time. Especially in the dark, adverse weather conditions you described.

 

[JerryG]

Cindi,
Good for you. I would have done the SAME thing. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Chief, I know what you're saying, but I was in low and first gear chugging along, slow as possible. You're right though. Worst possible conditions, everything was wet, she's hanging onto a wet roll bar. I don't know how I could have gotten her home otherwise though. You couldn't pay either one of us to walk it, both ditches full of water, moccasins, possibly gators. Uh uh, no way.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Lawman the country is out of control, part if it burning part if it flooding. No happy medium it seems.

 

[RichZ]

Cindi, you did the right thing!! In an emergency, you have to improvise, and the tractor was the safest way to get Jill. You were in first gear, and you made it as safe as possible, and you instructed Jill what to do in an emergency.

Way to go!!! I'm glad you're both safe!!!

 

[Anonymous Poster]

The weatherman said this morning that this should be the last of our rain for awhile, so maybe the road will get a chance to dry up a bit. But until it does, I'm not going anywhere.

 

[mikim]

<font color="blue"> The weatherman said </font>
Ah-h-h- - you can't believe those guys .... they're all a bunch of liars... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

'Actors' is what I think they are. They act like they know what is goin on.

But, so far so good. It's 4:17 and so far no wet stuff, but the sky is getting dark all around us so who knows. Maybe I should go ahead and feed early.