The Ole Jetta Journal

Here lately my Jetta, Ole Jetta, as I call her, has been playing a bigger role in my life. She plays a big one as is, driving me to Topeka (50min) every day & back. When that trek has added obstacles like snow, drifts, fog, rain, ice, gravel, cows, etc, her theme song would be, "I think I can, I think I can." It doesn't help that when you give a 4x4 country girl a car she's going to put it to the test! Here's an example. I had to work xmas this year (note: I work w/animals so obviously they NEED fed, & I'll be darned if I don't make it) & this year there was a snowstorm working its way over. So, I knew to get up an hour earlier & think ahead (b/c I live in the country so I have to contemplate, "okay which roads will be plowed, pavement or gravel, wind blocks, snow drifts, etc") That morning I went with the most pavement, b/c surely it had to be plowed. Well, a couple yards into the asphalt I knew a plow hadn't touched it yet. All I had to do was get around some S curves then onto the next road (which I thought would be better). Over the curves, I pet Ole Jetta as we floated across the drifts..."just a little further, come on, come on" if I would've stopped at all that would've bee the end. We made it to the T... just 7 more miles till hwy99..."We can do this!" If you had never traveled Zeandale rd you wouldn't have know what was road & what was field, but we made it, barely. There were some big drifts forming so I just held my breath & plowed through them. 99 was alright, then onto 70. It was okay too! Then I got into Topeka.... Have they ever heard of plows!? Their streets were horrible & of course the roads to my work weren't "plowing priority." On top of it all the plow had pushed all the extra snow in front of the front gates, I gunned it .... made it. Only to find out there were only 9 (out of 14) that made it in.... great day! :p

Any who, for the drive home I opted for the same way, after all we made it, plus surely the plows will have gone over it by then. Topeka was still a mess, 70 was good, 99 was fair, Zeandale road was..... I get a half mile in & half the rd is drifted! A truck heads toward me, and I'm the one who has to move over! Check! okay next S curve, First part a little drifty. Second part, half drifty so I stay to the outside, cruise in 2nd, then..... slide & STUCK! "Are you kidding me? After all I had been through? & only 9 miles from home!" No damsel in distress act for me, I was too tired, too pissed off, too strung out for that crap. I called Jorge, he's at home with busted 4wheel drive but heads my way. So, I bundle up, grab the ice scraper, push open the door. Ole Jetta was buried up past the frame in a drift! I begin digging... 2 cars drive by with out stopping "Really?! on Christmas!" Another comes by & says "well, if you're still here in a few I'll come back" (Thanks buddy!). Then I see a durmax come up, a farm kid! He gets his dad & returns with tow-strap in hand! As they were hooking up, Jorge shows up, then the plow drives by..... embarrassing to say the least. We yank her out & leave her at the farm kid's dad's house in Wabaunsee b/c there was no way I was making it home. That night I enjoyed xmas dinner with a stout vodka n schnapps martini! Next morning work beckoned .... again. So, Jorge took me to Ole Jetta. He escorted me past the snowy spots & I made it! Then a day off! whew!

That's not the end..... last week I was headed out to find a part-time job. Going around one of those S curves (note: I like to be Mario Andrettie), well I slid on some gravel into a stout little T-post just 1 foot off the road! Clipped my mirror which knocked out my passenger window. Then proceeded to dent my rear door, wheel, hubcap, fender, & bumper! UGH!! Took her to the shop.... $4000 n some dollars!! Holy Crow!! thank gosh for insurance! So, Yesterday I dropped her off to get all nip/tucked. Now, I'm riding a Hyundai SanteFe, which for a foreign it's pretty nice.... xm radio! Basically, I'm getting spoiled.

Hopefully, the rest of the year Ole Jetta and I will have a low key time!