Saturday. The weekend. The sky was clear and sunny, temperature in the upper forties, and very little wind. A perfect day—for this time of year. And with most of the snow now gone, a perfect day to spend outdoors.
 
As you might expect, there were plenty of people out and about, enjoying the long awaited break in the wintery weather. It was good to hear the sounds of spring. While I didn’t hear any lawn mowers, people were busy cleaning, doing yard work, building things, working on cars, etc. Some were just hanging out, doing nothing. I think everyone shared the same sentiment; just glad to have something other than snow and cold.
 
Even the birds seemed happy and cheerful. They were chirping away, flying from tree to tree, occasionally landing on the ground, and then doing a little dance. I think they were surprised, and relieved, that the snow was all gone. They seemed in awe of the fact they could actually see the ground!
 
The sunshine definitely appeared to brighten the day—in more ways than one.
 
So, what did I do on this perfect day? Well, after taking about fifteen minutes to change the oil in my wife’s car, I worked inside. Yep, inside. The rest of the day. Sad, I know. But I did get a lot done; things that had to be done. And I was able to see the sunshine through the window! Still, inside is not the place to be on a perfect day. Not to worry though. After an unusually long winter, there are plenty of things waiting to be done outside as well. However, those things will have to wait. How long? Not sure. Until the next perfect day, I guess. ~
 
Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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I thought winter was over. Yes, I know it’s still February, but after a few days of good roads, I was hopeful. Sadly, this past Tuesday night I learned winter was not quite finished yet.
 
As a truck driver for the last twenty-some years, I’ve come to despise winter. Driving on slick roads every day can get old. Worse yet, it’s making me old, I think. What hair I have left is turning gray, and whether it’s accurate or not, I’m blaming the winter driving.
 
But back to my story. I was almost done with my run, only about 50 miles to go, when the rain started. The temperature was 27 degrees. I kept up my speed for a few miles but when the sides of the road began sparkling, I decided to back it down a little.
 
I was catching up to another truck and debating on whether or not to pass. Knowing there was a bridge coming up—a bridge that is notoriously slick, and built on a curve—I slowed down more and stayed behind the guy. We were traveling about 30 mph and all was well.
 
But the car that had been rapidly gaining on us didn’t slow down. The driver passed us both and pulled back into the right lane. Then about a half mile ahead, just before he crossed the bridge I saw the brake lights come on. And that’s when all the fun began.
 
As the car did a few 360’s in the middle of the freeway, the other truck and I slowed down as much as we could (without using the brakes). The car came to a stop right on the dotted line but left us enough room to squeeze by—barely. We were now moving about 5 mph and that would prove to be too fast.
 
I saw the truck in front of me start sliding the moment he hit the bridge. His trailer turned sideways and he drifted to the left side of the bridge. At this point, I still had a little control and I moved al the way to the right, trying to avoid him. But then I crossed onto the bridge and at 5 mph started a slow slide to the left with my trailer fishtailing behind me. And there wasn’t a thing I could do.
 
Just to give you a feel for the situation, I’m in a 100,000 lb rig, on a bridge, sliding to the edge, with no control. I couldn’t steer or accelerate, and I knew better than to hit the brakes. And at this time of year, I was pretty sure the water below was COLD.
 
It’s funny how things slow down at times like this. Of course, at 5 mph, I was barely moving anyway but still...  As everything slowed down, I had time to consider my options, which came down to either: jump out or keep going and hope for the best. One thing I knew, I most certainly didn’t want to stop. I’d be a sitting duck when more traffic showed up, which could be at any moment. And since I didn’t really want to jump out, I kept my foot on the throttle. But with no traction, that may have been pointless.
 
I saw the truck in front of me slam into the side of the bridge and then start sliding the other way. Figuring that was as good a plan as any, I turned my wheel all the way to the right, hoping the tire stuck out past the fender. (No need to go smashing up the truck unnecessarily). I wasn’t sure but it seemed to work and bouncing off the guardrail, I joined the tuck ahead of me in sliding to the right.
 
We proceeded all the way across the bridge like that, bouncing our way to the other side. Thankfully, no other traffic came by. Once off the bridge, we could get a little traction. By little, I mean we got up to about 10 mph, then slowly climbed to 15 mph. We couldn’t go any faster. And that was fine with me. I was no longer in that much of a hurry. Apparently, neither was the other driver.
 
Two hours later, I finished my run without any further incidents. Once the truck was parked, I checked for damage and there was none! Not even any marks on the tires!
So, all in all, a good night!
 
Later, I started thinking how the car that wrecked probably saved me. If I’d hit that bridge at 30 mph, I doubt the flimsy guardrail would have been much of a hindrance. Most likely, the truck would have plowed right through it on its way to the river below.
 
I was already wishing winter was over, and now, more so. But, this week’s forecast calls for... snow. And more freezing rain. Yay! ~
 
Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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I really should be fully awake before attempting things like brushing my teeth. At the very least, I should probably make sure that I’m using toothpaste before sticking the brush in my mouth. But as you can readily ascertain from this opening, I did neither of those things.
 
I’d just gotten up on Sunday morning and was getting ready for church. As usual, I was in a hurry. I was ready to leave but still needed to brush my teeth so I grabbed the brush and “toothpaste.” Only after I began brushing did I realize that instead of my Sensodyne toothpaste, I’d used a tube of Desitin. For those who may not know, Destin is a zinc oxide cream used primarily to treat rashes, specifically, babies’ diaper rash. It and the toothpaste tube look strangely similar if both are laying on the counter.
 
Surprisingly, the stuff didn’t taste bad. There wasn’t really a taste to it at all. It was more of a weird texture that seemed to coat the entire inside of my mouth. The problem with that is, Destin is a very thick and stiff cream and resistant to water. So, it took some time to remove it from my teeth and mouth. I finally used a dry wash cloth to wipe away most of the cream and then brushed my teeth (with actual toothpaste this time, and a different brush). Then I brushed them again. And still not satisfied the Destin was completely gone; I used a very large dose of mouthwash. I then drank a can of Dr. Pepper—just for good measure.
 
Although, I didn’t read the label, I’m pretty sure Destin isn’t too harmful. It IS used on babies after all. Still, it was the idea. Just kind of disgusting. On a positive note however, my teeth seem to be rash free at the moment! ~
 
Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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Please forgive any typos in this post—my house is full of smoke and my eyes are a little watery as I type. My wife, the pyromaniac in the family is at it again, starting fires under the guise of cooking. I think she may be trying to get rid of all the stuff I hoard the quick and easy way.
 
I’ve written before about her proclivity of starting fires on the stove and in the oven. And nothing has changed. Her firebug tendency is an on-going and frequent occurrence. In fact, the most recent case (besides tonight) was only two days ago. She put some chicken in the oven and left for work. When the barbecue sauce bubbled over, things started heating up. Thankfully, my son was visiting and he took care of that one.
 
I should point out that she is an excellent cook. (Of course, this keeps me in a constant need of a diet)! And she has a knack for making ordinary food taste great! She just likes to add a little excitement—to keep us on our toes, I suppose. She’s even been known to start water on fire, not once, but twice!
 
I’m considering investing in a fire extinguisher, but that might be a waste of money. I mean, with her “skills” a fire extinguisher probably would offer no protection. I can see her setting that on fire as well!
 
Tonight’s episode, despite the heavy smoke and impending fire danger, ended well—with me scarfing down a savory, melt-in-your-mouth steak. As usual, the satisfying meal helped counter the anxiety of wondering if the house will burn down. So far, everything seems fine. Still, I plan to stay up a little longer—just in case. And hopefully, my wife doesn’t get up in the middle of the night for a midnight snack! ~
 
Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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