Today was one of those rare days in which I drove 11-hours in a 14-work day. In other words, when I parked the truck in the evening, I was out of hours for the day--driving hours and total hours. That's a good feeling when you know you have managed your time well, aren't stressed out (due to missed appointment times, traffic, etc.), and still have energy for a few more things at the end-of-the-day.
Prior to my appointment in the Minneapolis, MN area, I stopped at a rest area just over the border. While walking back to the truck, I noticed that a worker was mowing the grass on a riding mower while it was raining. I thought that a little odd since you usually mow grass in dry weather. Another trucker was walking slowly back to his truck and was chuckling. He pointed out that the worker failed to notice that the mower blades weren't turning at all. In other words, in the 5-minutes that we both was there, the worker was busy non-mowing the grass. I too joined in the chuckling. I guess the rain drops prevented him from noticing that the numerous dandelion stalks--sticking far above the grass--hadn't been mowed down when he turned the mower around to head back next to the row he had just "cut." Too funny! Too bad it's another (albeit humorous) example of government waste in action.
Later on, while driving back from Minnesota to the Wisconsin border, I noticed a mother goose and her little goslings walking on the grass edge of the interstate road shoulder. Their pond was 20-feet away. I think mama goose was proudly showing her brood off the the world. Although I didn't see any squished goslings as I went by, one was sort of straying from the flock towards the road and traffic. As I passed by, it seemed to turn back towards mama. I'm sure mama would have gone after the little one if it got too close to the vehicles whizzing by. Then again, the whole family could get wiped out as they follow mama trying to rescue a straying gosling. I sure hope they get back in the pond quickly!
Back in Wisconsin, I noticed a cat laying down on the dashboard of a passing RV. That just doesn't seem right. I understand that cats travel in vehicles. But lounging on the dash board? I'd think the darn thing would try to pounce at moving objects it sees through the front windshield (like tender little goslings). It seemed to be enjoying the trip--that's for sure.
Tomorrow I'll be starting in the evening and picking up a load in Menasha, WI bound for Harrodsburg, KY. Another dedicated division within our company has an extra delivery that dispatch kindly sent my way. That will definitely give me some better driving mileage for the week!
miles driven = 671
7:57:26 PM
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