Tucker on Ice

The past couple of weeks here in Virginia have been difficult because of the lingering ice. Even in February if we get snow it melts by the second day. This time however it came like an old drinking buddy from school that stops in to visit unannounced. It's nice to see him, but the longer he stays the more one wishes he would leave. As one would expect, our hay supply was dwindling and something had to be done in spite of the driveway and barnyard being buried under what seemed to be a growing glacier if ice.

We scheduled delivery of 350 bales with a farmer in Ohio. I was skeptical about why he needed to come all the way to Virginia to sell his hay, but our friend in Ohio had bought some and assured us it was nice stuff. Each day that passed we hoped the weather would break so the drive would clear. Each day the ice got worse. Finally we had to make provision for the conditions because the man was on his way. I hooked up the big trailer to go to the neighbor's to borrow his hay elevator because there was no way that the hay guy was going to get close enough to unload directly from the truck. Mary hooked up the harrow to the tractor in hopes that it would break up the ice just a little. The plan was to work on the drive while I was picking up the equipment. Tucker, our Big White Dog, had other plans.

We have been giving Tucker some freedom to go outside the fence. It has made him less inclined to want to escape for a run down to the road. This day however was too critical for him to leave well enough alone. As soon as I went through the gate so did he. Mary tried to scold him while I tried to capture him only to further increase his determination to not do as we wished. Instead of just going back in he started for the road. I got in the truck and went after him trailer in tow. At the end of the drive he didn't even hesitate. He went trough the neighbor's fence. No way I could chase him so I just went to pick up the elevator. Mary made some divots in the driveway but the ice was too hard to really have any effect.

Meanwhile Tucker was adding to his social contacts. Across from the farm in front of us are some houses on five acre lots. Out front of one were two young girls about 13 or 14 years old riding their sleds down the icy bank near their house. As they were about to go down for another ride their mother called out to them to look behind them. There, standing over them was the Big White Dog. They told us when we got there that they thought it was a wolf. How they overcame their fear and captured him I didn't ask. But there they were with Tucker on a leash quietly waiting for his ride home. Soon everyone in Calverton will know the Big White Dog.
BTW. The hay guy came the next day and all went better than expected. He thought we were having a heat wave compared to what he had left in Ohio. The ice was no big deal for him. The hay was nice too.





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