Sometimes.....

You know, I always thought that I would grow up, get married, and have 2.5 kids. Somehow, in the midst of going to school, being shy, going to school, being shy...that just never happened. I am OK with that. I have replaced the concept of husband and children with a bunch of very lovely dogs who love me unconditionally despite my hellacious work schedule. Sometimes, you just have to adjust.

Sometimes, the lack of a man around the house does have it's disadvantages though. Although it would be nice to have a trailer to use as I travel the country with my dogs, I have always maintained that I don't want to have more vehicle (or attachments to my vehicle) than I can manage. This philosophy on life has served me well..

Now that I have the property 12 miles from my house, I do need a utility trailer to transport my 1000 lb 48 inch mower (read mower from hell....but that is another story). This weekend, Atwoods, a local home and ranch store, had a sale on utility trailers. Four different flavors were available : light weight and heavier, 5 x 8 foot and 6 x 10 foot. After much measuring, and the advice of a good ol' boy waiting in his truck, and I chose the "heavy" construction 5 x 8 foot trailer. Although the trailers were all chained, I had picked up the hitch and rolled the trailer. It seemed light and manageable, and the good ol' boys warning about flimsy tires had me very worried about the lighter weight trailer.

Buying the trailer has actually taken days and days. There are so many things that I didn't want to admit that I don't know/understand. Simple things like how to use a hitch. But I had done my surveillance, nonchalantly examining the trucks in the parking lot at Home Depot and Atwoods. I came prepared with the appropriate size ball on my hitch, I knew where the electrical connections were. Who said that this city girl can't figure stuff out?

I bought the trailer. Although I have never towed a thing in my life, I drove the thing home without cutting anyone off or mis-gauging a turn. My plan, until I get a storage shed, was to keep the trailer in the garage, next to Daisy, with the wagons and mower stored on the trailer. I cleared out the garage....everything seemed to be going well. But all plans like this have to have a flaw.

1. The driveway. It has an incline. It may be mild but it is there.....

2. The garage. The floor has no traction.

I was pulling the trailer up the driveway, when suddenly, I just didn't have enough weight to pull it up. I tried to stop, but the trailer was slowly dragging me towards my brand new pick up truck. In desperation, I manage to turn it so that it lost momentum. While trying to hold onto the trailer so that it won't start moving again, I reach for some bricks to put behind the wheels. Sigh. I went inside,to let my quaking muscles stop quaking and tried again. Sometimes, despite my determination, I just don't have strength for some activities. Cursing myself for being the weaker sex....I was stuck. What to do? Call someone? Possibly, but I don't want to do that every time I need to use the trailer.

Hmmmmm.

What does any woman do when there is really a problem?Change shoes!! That's the ticket. Sometimes, it is OK being the weaker sex.... (OK, I am using some literary license here...this is not the way I deal with most problems in my life).

Yup. When the tough don't way enough, just change shoes.

I was wearing old running shoes. No traction. I changed into my newer running shoes -- they have these columns that give nice cushioning when I run, but they also gave just enough traction for me to haul the trailer up the driveway and into the garage. It's all about having the right shoes....or is that the right equipment. Without a lot of sweat, some not-so feminine grunting, and acquisition of blisters across the palm of my right hand, I did get the trailer IN the garage. Everything fits!

Of course, right now I am having some pretty crushing chest pain. I figure my ribs have separated from my sternum in protest of the heavy labor (believe me, it IS musculo-skeletal pain).

I'm thinking that shed that will allow storage of the trailer and mower without an incline....that needs to happen, soon. The other option would be to back the trailer into the garage. But this is one girl that knows her limitations....and backing up trailers is not on my list of approved procedures.

Sometimes...it pays to have the right shoes. Really.



For anyone who is interested, Gabi probably is in whelp (or is having the worst false pregnancy, EVER. Pups are due in two weeks, but she has started writing in her blog, which she gave up last spring (something about me being too busy and hogging the computer).