This is Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle. Every day has a set of problems like a set of socks. Sometimes your socks match. But sometimes, they don’t. Sometimes you forget to wear socks. Sometimes your socks are inside out. Sometimes, you can’t find your socks. I’m glad I don’t wear socks.
I’m also glad that I don’t have to make a lot of the decisions my persons do. Where should we go? How is the weather there? Is the weather gonna change? Will the Big Blue Treat Wagon make it there? Will we find a camping space? Yeah. Digby and I just go along for the ride without socks.
We decided that we would head somewhere called the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park in Virginia. It was only a couple hours away. And the weather didn’t look any worse than anywhere else close by. The persons thought that it looked like a very interesting place to go. And I did too. After all, you can see three states at once from one viewpoint. And that Daniel Boone person traveled thru here. Yeah. Seemed like a great idea.
But we had just a few problems to overcome. First of all, our fuel gauge is broken. So we write down mileage and stuff. Our calculations said we ran out of gas twenty miles ago. But we had six miles up the mountain to a gas station. We held our breath. We skipped breakfast to be lighter. And well. We were nervous. Would we ever find the gas station? Did it exist?
Just when we thought we were gonna be stopped in the side of the road, we saw it! We made it! We were so glad. And then. Well. We looked at the weather where we were headed. And we knew we had another problem. We were gonna be wet. Cold. Real cold. And we needed propane. Our back up heat source of a dog treat dehydrator wouldn’t work this time. We asked around where propane was. And we were told, “go up the big mountain and then the small mountain. Then you will see a dollar store. And then on the right you might find propane. But you probably can’t fit in there.”
“What’s the town?”
“Don’t know the name. But it’s not too far from Cumberland Gap.”
Well. Somehow we made it up past the big mountain and the little mountain and the dollar store. And she was correct. We couldn’t turn the Big Blue Treat Wagon around there. So we kept going. And we kept going. We kept on going.
We were almost to camp. Nothing in sight. We were gonna freeze. And at the last minute, we saw two propane tanks with no sign for propane at a station. We decided to ask. And they said yep. They would fill us up. And it was like music. Music to our cold ears.
We thought all was good. We had fuel. We had propane. And as we got to camp, and picked out a site, Girl Person assured us as soon as we were set up, she would get dinner. And that doesn’t take so long. But the RV had other plans. The jacks refused to come down. We were on a hill. And Boy Person tried. He tried again. He tried for an hour. Then the dash cracked by the brake and we were crooked and walnuts fell from the trees like you’ve never heard. Unless you are hit in the head.
He finally had to do what he could do. Which was all he could do.
And as he stepped back to look at the situation with defeat in his eyes, he saw it. Our tires were done. Done. Done. Done as done can be. And it had been a miracle we made it here. To Cumberland Gap.
For sure we had made it here. For sure we had troubles. But the troubles we thought we had were gonna be small in comparison. Finding tires? Haven’t yet. And we aren’t going anywhere until we do.
Then the rain started. The cold came. And yep. There was trouble in Cumberland Gap.
Life and mismatched socks can get us down. We think we have one thing to deal with, and we are as prepared as we can be. But then, our socks get stretched so thin that we think we can’t go another step.
Well. Sometimes we can’t. We can’t go another step until we figure out what to do. But when we find a solution, aren’t we proud? When we overcome a socky situation, it prepares us for the next. Unless a walnut hits you. And then. Well. You’ll forget what problems you had anyway.
So stay with us in Cumberland Gap, won’t you? I guess you’ll have to until we find tires.
–Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle
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Oh, those socks! I have 3 different types plus black crew socks to wear with my uniform. (Not working now, but I didn’t toss the black shoes and socks). I have my Mom some of my white socks. I noticed one day she,was wearing one new ankle sock and one of her old crew socks, complete with threasbare heel. Those threadbare socks were why I gave her two unopened packs on brand new socks. Y’all be safe, with or without socks.