Heading out

Yesterday our son, Drew, came for a visit. His plan was to stay for a few hours and then into Berlin, the little town he grew up in, to see a High School Basketball game.
Our truck was done at the shop and needed picked up so Pops and I were going to go get it, a trip which normally can take 2 hours, but since Drew was here Starla elected to go with Pops so I could visit with Drew. She is great like that. Thank you, Starla.
Drew and I put in a rented movie but we didn't really catch the first 45 minutes because we were talking and visiting. It was The A-Team Movie. Our boys loved this television show when they were kids. Then we got down to actually paying attention to the movie. It really was good. It really followed the old lines of the TV show and I enjoyed it.
When Pops and Starla returned she got busy making supper. Pops had put our truck into service immediately so load opportunities could come at any time so I got busy re-stocking the truck, making the bed and cleaning the floors. Drew decided to leave a little early since it was snowing so hard.
It wasn't long before the phone rang. Load Opportunity, I thought. But no, it was Drew. He was in a predicament. His car wouldn't make it up the steep mountain roads out of our valley and he tried to turn around and come back only to slide up next to the guardrail. He needed help because he was afraid of sliding into the rail. So Pops, Starla and I grabbed the bag of salt, shovel, gloves, coats and boots and took off to help. I had also brought along a set of rubber, studded tracks that I had purchased somewhere that were supposed to go under the wheels and give traction. They were still in the pack, we had never used them.
We found Drew about 2 miles away, just as he had said up to the guardrail, but not yet touching it. Pops shoveled all around his tires and I put the tracks under the front wheels because they are the ones that had been sliding. They voted for me to drive while they pushed the front end away from the guardrail. It worked easily and then Pops and Drew got into his car and Starla and I brought the truck back. It looked like Drew would be spending the night.
Starla finished supper and Bill got home from work. I was still packing up the truck. Drew was on the computer and Pops was sitting in the kitchen talking to Starla. Load opportunities did start coming. But we declined several for various reasons.
Before long it was bed time. At least I figured I better get some rest in case we had to leave early. I fell asleep right around 11:00PM. I woke up to the phone ringing at 12:40AM. It was a load opportunity and I took down all the information. Pops had gotten awake too and he listened. We decided to accept this load so then we had to wait to see if we were confirmed as having it. That took about 15 minutes but we were on the load. It is picking up 1 piece near our state capitol and going to Lake Jackson, TX for Thursday. We have been to Lake Jackson before it is a beautiful, upscale neighborhood south of Houston. It is where I took the pictures of the Stephan Austin statue. Remember that?
I am wondering since it is just 1 piece if it is going to the same location that we went to before when we went there. That had only been one piece too.
So you think I would rest easy now knowing that we don't have to leave until about 10am and I have everything packed and ready, but no, I couldn't sleep at all. And I can't get up and go downstairs because I don't want to interfere with Drew's sleep, so I lay as still as possible, wide awake and tried to make myself sleep. I finally did doze some off and on and then just got up and came down to the kitchen around 6:00AM.
I drank some coffee and played cards on the computer until seven and then got a shower and then did some laundry so that everything is clean before we leave here.
I wanted to get this blog posted before leaving too. Because who knows when I will get another opportunity.
So here it is now 8:00AM. Everyone else is still sleeping.
We will be leaving here around 10:00AM. Drew will probably leave around that time too and Bill usually goes to work then also. That will leave Starla and Boots here alone. Ahhhh. A sigh of peace and quiet, and a chance to get the house back to it's original order. I know what she is thinking. Although it will also be, I think, a little bit of a lonely time for her too.
I know everytime we leave, it is excitement and getting back to normalcy but also, bittersweet and sad to be leaving. My good friend, Jeff, told me goodbye last night. I miss my friends already.
Our load picks up today, Wednesday at 2:00 and delivers in Texas tomorrow at 10PM. We will have to hustle. I am glad to be going away from where I perceive all the snow to be. The north and east has really gotten a lot. I don't know what is waiting for us. But like I said, some kind of normalcy, I guess.
Take care and God Bless you all.