Let's Back Up a Minute Here....

There are a few things in life that I'm very good at doing.  There are a whole lot of things that I do well, and some that I do well enough to get by okay...  and then there's the things that I'm really, really terrible at.  I could elaborate on some of my talents (or lack of), but hey... it would sound like I'm tooting my own horn...  and besides...  this is about a particular deficit in my make-up.

I can't back up a vehicle....

Okay, I can put the car or truck or whatever in reverse, apply the gas and move... but the results are never what I'm aiming for.

I've backed up trailers...  do a whole lot of zig-zagging to get the darned thing aligned right...  if I'm really determined I'll work at it for a LONG time.  (Don't even bother to tell me what turning the wheel to the right...  or left... will do... I KNOW that... just can't seem to do it right)

Once I got out of a truck, unhitched the trailer and manually parked it ... yeah... I grabbed hold of the hitch and rolled it so that it exactly lined up with the others.  I'm talking maybe 10' trailers that haul mowers and stuff like that.  No big deal....  I mean, all those ruts can be embarrassing when you're married to a guy who can park our rig... or anything else... without anyone directing him in.

I look in back of me...  I check out the rear-view mirror...  the side mirrors... I look for trees, animals and little kids.  Nothing there...  I back out... WHAM!  I smack right into a tree.  Bill & Norma can attest to that little experience when we were in Mexico one time.

So... why am I writing about this?  Well, Rick posted a photo of his trucks dents after a  little incident...  it's in the body shop as I write..  and it just so happened that I had a little incident of my own yesterday.

It went like this...  I'm in the McDonald's parking lot in Carrizo Springs.  I don't even eat at McDonalds, but they have free WiFi with a good signal.  I park... but see that the sun is blinding me... I'll never be able to see the laptop screen.  (Okay... I don't go inside because I feel I should buy something and I don't even like their coffee)  So, I back out to move to a better spot.

I looked!  Really, I did...  both ways and behind me.  But...  I'm really close to the entrance coming right off the street.  Sometime between the time I looked and looked back at the steering wheel, a truck pulled in off the street.  WHAM!

Thank goodness it was a big truck...  well, nearly every vehicle you see out here in this part of Texas is a truck... and usually a big truck.  I don't mean the 18 wheelers... there's plenty of those, but everyone drives a pick-up....  often high clearance with dual wheels on the back.

I drive a little Scion...  it's pretty much manufactured from plastic and tin foil.  Okay... not really tinfoil, but it's not very substantial.

After the "Wham" I get out to see what's what.  I think this truck was a big 4 wheel drive truck because my rear bumper ran right into his front wheel hub.  That hub looked to me like those spikes you see on those gladiator chariots.  Sounds bad... but that's good.  I'm the only one who sustained any damage. 

Oh Wow!  No Damage Here!

The young man got out of his truck... said something like "Looks like you're having a bad Monday as well."  Guess his day hadn't been going very good and I just made it worse.

Now... as bad a backer-upper that I am, this is the first time it's ever involved another vehicle.  (trees don't usually file claims).  There really wasn't any damage to his truck, and he asks me if I'm going to report this to my insurance company.  I looked at him and said that no, of course not...  my husband is very good at bondo and sanding (hmmm... wonder if he thought Bill needed to keep a supply on hand?)....  and besides, he could see that strip of duct tape that holds the front bumper on...  why not a little matching tape for

the rear?

Ouch!

 I determine that he's okay (actually this was my first priority...  we've all heard about whiplash and nasty things like that)...  and we exchange names and phone numbers.  He mentions that my husband can call him in the evening.  I give this a seconds thought then remember that I'm in macho land...  it's a guy thing.

I called him last night just to check in and apologise...  got  his voice mail.  Being a Texas gentleman, he called back this morning...  talked to my husband...  said his truck was fine and everything was okay. 

So...  today I drove back into Carrizo Springs...  would you believe some guy in a pick-up darned near ran into me when I was in the H.E.B. parking lot!  He wasn't even backing up...  but then, he can probably back up that truck better than going forward!

That's All For Today!