Going wading when it's 46 degrees outside.

[Tobin S.]

Last edited Mon Nov 24, 2014, 08:45 PM - Edit history (1)

I've had the same trucking route with the same customers for the last three years. My biggest customer has six containers of various scrap metals that I haul for them. The containers are all backed up to dock doors. I drive a lugger truck that picks up the containers and swings them up on the truck. These are big containers. I haul one at a time. That's all that will fit on the truck.

Today, when I got up to the customer, the docks that the containers sit in were flooded with water. It had rained heavily overnight and the drainage system for the docks was backed up. Stuff like that has happened many times in the past, but it usually only took about an hour for the water to drain off. For some reason, the drainage system doesn't work as well as it used to, and now it takes three hours for it to do what it used to in one. I had checked the other customers on my route and there was nothing to be hauled at any of them that I could do while I waited for that to drain.

I couldn't just sit there for thee hours. I have left an empty container there when this happened in the past so they could have something to dump scrap in, and then put it off to the next day. Unfortunately, the customer had three loads ready and they would run out of places to put scrap if something wasn't done.

I didn't have to do what I did, and I thought long and hard before I did it. In a side box on the truck I had a spare pair of boots that were pretty well worn out. I took off my good boots and socks, put on the old boots, rolled up my pant legs, and went wading.

It was in the forties out and that water was up above my knees while I was hooking up those containers. That will make you feel alive! A guy came out there and told me that I must be dedicated and that there was no way he'd do that.

[Kali]

1. yeehaw

brrr. Today I made my oldest haul out the gallon jug of gravel that was weighing my pool stairs down. He checked and the water was just at 50 degrees. He didn't seem to want to get in and hand the stairs up, so I am going to tie some baling twine to them and just tip them over so I can put the winter cover on.

we are supposed to get in the low 20's tonight. finally got my plants in - the tomato and basil got hammered pretty bad last night even though I covered them. going to see if I can coax a few fruits to hang on for christmas, I think the basil is compost though.

the worst is fixing livestock trough float valves when there is ice on the water. that is painful.

[Tobin S.]

2. Hi, Kali.

I'm always surprised when you tell me how cold it gets where you live. I think of winter in that area of the country being a pleasant season- sort of the opposite of where I live.

[Kali]

3. Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma are fine - easy winters

but I am almost in the mountains at 4500 feet. I - 10 through Texas Canyon will close every now and then for ice and snow. Not every winter and rarely more than a few hours to a half day, but it happens once in a while.

On the plus side we are also 10 to 20 degrees cooler in the summer. we get an inch or two of ice on the water troughs pretty often in Dec and especially January. Nothing like Wyoming or Montana but cold enough to be uncomfortable. LOL

[Tobin S.]

4. That's what I was thinking, it must be a much higher elevation.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. What a tough, hardy soul you are, my dear Tobin!

Omigod. It sounds really cold, but I know you had to do it. HAD TO.



Good on ya!

[Tobin S.]

6. I do have my limits.

If it had been much colder they would have had to make do with the one container. One of the guys there jokingly offered to buy me some hip waders. I'm thinking about getting a Cabella's catalog and bringing it in to him.

[rurallib]

7. just thinking about such an adventure caused (i want to be delicate here)

um - shrinkage reaction.