Traffic Report or Squirrels, Rabbits, Turkeys, oh my!

I am so fortunate. I don't have to listen to the traffic report each morning. My commute consists of no traffic lights, two stop signs, two left hand turns and two right hand turns. That's it. It's only 5 1/2 miles. Having worked at the post office, I know that it is preferable to eliminate as many left hand turns as possible. I actually could change one if I went out of my driveway the other way, but I chose to live dangerously.

Anyway, I could write my own traffic report...

As you leave your driveway look out to the left for the squirrels that sometimes play in the front of your yard. A few houses down there is always a rabbit or two eating in the grass. They usually go off into the woods but you still need to slow down should they go the wrong direction.

After leaving your street, on Route 179 in the vicinity of Barkhmasted Firehouse East beware of the turkey crossing. (I think DCF should check out this mother as she is always letting her baby turkeys (chicks?) play near the road or cross the street in a long slow line.)

From then you are on your own. It is guaranteed at least one more squirrel will do his "do I go this way, do I go that way?" game in front of you. You could encounter a deer, though extremely rare. Even rarer is the supposed bear sightings. Everyone on this side of the earth has seen the bear except George and I. I think everyone has conspired against us and made up this legend to fool us. He is just as real as Big Foot to me.

So, putting up with those possible commuter interruptions is not so bad. My dodging animal ratios is pretty good considering the thousands of times they have crossed my path. Though George often says that I can spot an animal ten feet on the side of the road, but I can't see the ruts in the road which I inevitably hit.

The only time I don't like my commute is the winter. I can get up our steep road without much problem--if I take the less steep and less curvy of my two options. I don't worry about that. It's when I get to the junction of Route 179 and Route 219. You can see the plow always turns onto Route 219 and all of a sudden you are in a less plowed, often rut filled road. You try to go in the last person's tracks. If you break down, there is no one around for help. Though, personally I pray on those snowy days that I don't see a car because they make me nervous--will they skid into me or will they tailgate me? I don't mind driving in the snow so much if I am all alone. Often in the snowy winter evenings by 5:30pm, most people have left early and I am alone. Slow and steady I make my way, concentrating on how the car is handling each movement. I am glad my way is basically straight, but I do have hills.

Here it is July nearing 90 degrees, humid and I end up talking about snow. I don't want either. Give me 75 degrees and a breeze.
Well, that's my traffic report today. Sounds better than a tractor trailer turnover or a five car pile up!