“Why Bears Hibernate”
After weeks of snow and
bitter cold, the
foul weather finally moved east to bother our friends and families,
leaving
us with two days of warm weather. With gentle winds and temperatures
nearing
50 degrees, we felt very blessed. However, the streets, parking lots,
and
yards turned into ponds, because the ground was still frozen and unable
to
absorb the melting snow and ice.
Then the temperature dropped to 12 degrees and the "ponds" turned into ice-skating rinks.
As I drove to the radio station this morning, I realized just how slick the roads were as I watched one resident performing a slow, graceful pirouette with their old Buick. I quickly double checked the little button that is labeled "4x4" to make sure that it was on.
For me, the rest of the day was uneventful and tedious; fielding hundreds of phone calls from groups that were canceling activities, and people who wanted to know the weather forecast.
For Crystal, the day was far more interesting.
She had the good sense to stay at the Versailles City Shed all day with the other city workers, but Cabin Fever overrode her sensibility, and she eventually headed out in her truck. She drove down Route D, where she can usually find the tracks of various animals and birds. Aware of the road conditions, she drove slowly and carefully, but that wasn't good enough.
As she slowly drove through one curve, the back of her truck started sliding around to the outside of the curve. She tried to correct, but it was too late. Her truck went sliding into a field and right towards a huge pile of snow that had refused to melt during the previous days. She stepped on the gas, turned the wheel, shot over the icy pile, slid across somebody's yard, plowed over their mailbox, and then finally came to a stop... narrowly missing a truck that was parked in front of the house. She called the other city workers on her two-way radio and simply told them that her truck had slid off the road and was stuck.
As Crystal waited for her co-workers to arrive, she wandered around the yard picking up the mail that had been scattered by her chance encounter with the now deceased mailbox. She then politely rang the doorbell to the house, and when nobody answered, she placed the mail inside their storm-door. She also laid the remains of the mailbox on the steps, as if to make amends for her trespass.
Then she heard one of the other trucks arriving. She was regretting this moment, when all of the 'guys' would arrive and give her a hard time. Crystal looked at the approaching truck, then grabbed her two-way radio and keyed the mike.
"Slow down guys!"
Too late. Her would-be rescuers slid off the road and into the same yard.
Crystal keyed the mike again, and said, "Yeah... that's what happened to me."
Others soon arrived, and they slid around on foot as they worked to get both trucks back onto the road. They then headed back to the Versailles City Shed, agreeing that it wasn't safe to be outside.
Crystal was the second person into the parking lot, and it wasn't easy for her to pull in behind the first truck without sliding into it, but she managed to park her truck without further incident. She walked inside the shed, and started to take off her coveralls.
BA-BANG!
One of the supervisors, driving a truck fitted with a snow-plow, had tried to park behind Crystal's truck, but his truck refused to stop. He plowed into the back of her truck, which slid forward into the first truck.
Needless to say, nobody gave Crystal a hard time about her driving.
She stayed at the City Shed until 4:30, then carefully made her way home. Still suffering from Cabin Fever, she grabbed Jack (the dog) and a big piece of cardboard, and attempted to teach the dog the fine art of 'sledding'. Jack failed to truly appreciate this activity, but he went along for the ride. After all, he had Cabin Fever, too.
And this is why bears hibernate: to avoid the effects of Cabin Fever, and those of us who are suffering from it.
© 1998 Douglas Shaw.Then the temperature dropped to 12 degrees and the "ponds" turned into ice-skating rinks.
As I drove to the radio station this morning, I realized just how slick the roads were as I watched one resident performing a slow, graceful pirouette with their old Buick. I quickly double checked the little button that is labeled "4x4" to make sure that it was on.
For me, the rest of the day was uneventful and tedious; fielding hundreds of phone calls from groups that were canceling activities, and people who wanted to know the weather forecast.
For Crystal, the day was far more interesting.
She had the good sense to stay at the Versailles City Shed all day with the other city workers, but Cabin Fever overrode her sensibility, and she eventually headed out in her truck. She drove down Route D, where she can usually find the tracks of various animals and birds. Aware of the road conditions, she drove slowly and carefully, but that wasn't good enough.
As she slowly drove through one curve, the back of her truck started sliding around to the outside of the curve. She tried to correct, but it was too late. Her truck went sliding into a field and right towards a huge pile of snow that had refused to melt during the previous days. She stepped on the gas, turned the wheel, shot over the icy pile, slid across somebody's yard, plowed over their mailbox, and then finally came to a stop... narrowly missing a truck that was parked in front of the house. She called the other city workers on her two-way radio and simply told them that her truck had slid off the road and was stuck.
As Crystal waited for her co-workers to arrive, she wandered around the yard picking up the mail that had been scattered by her chance encounter with the now deceased mailbox. She then politely rang the doorbell to the house, and when nobody answered, she placed the mail inside their storm-door. She also laid the remains of the mailbox on the steps, as if to make amends for her trespass.
Then she heard one of the other trucks arriving. She was regretting this moment, when all of the 'guys' would arrive and give her a hard time. Crystal looked at the approaching truck, then grabbed her two-way radio and keyed the mike.
"Slow down guys!"
Too late. Her would-be rescuers slid off the road and into the same yard.
Crystal keyed the mike again, and said, "Yeah... that's what happened to me."
Others soon arrived, and they slid around on foot as they worked to get both trucks back onto the road. They then headed back to the Versailles City Shed, agreeing that it wasn't safe to be outside.
Crystal was the second person into the parking lot, and it wasn't easy for her to pull in behind the first truck without sliding into it, but she managed to park her truck without further incident. She walked inside the shed, and started to take off her coveralls.
BA-BANG!
One of the supervisors, driving a truck fitted with a snow-plow, had tried to park behind Crystal's truck, but his truck refused to stop. He plowed into the back of her truck, which slid forward into the first truck.
Needless to say, nobody gave Crystal a hard time about her driving.
She stayed at the City Shed until 4:30, then carefully made her way home. Still suffering from Cabin Fever, she grabbed Jack (the dog) and a big piece of cardboard, and attempted to teach the dog the fine art of 'sledding'. Jack failed to truly appreciate this activity, but he went along for the ride. After all, he had Cabin Fever, too.
And this is why bears hibernate: to avoid the effects of Cabin Fever, and those of us who are suffering from it.
| STORY
INDEX |
MAIN INDEX |