Since our black lab sheds approximately 3,427,912 hairs in
the course of an average day, we vacuum with a big ass 6-1/2-horse 14 gallon
shop vac in the vain hope we’ll get at least the majority of it. I started to
give it a whirl today right after lunch, but it wasn’t sucking very well so I
took it outside to empty it in the trash can and clean out the filter which
was, of course, covered with a fine inch-thick mat of dog hair.
Well, there
sat my pickup truck and it occurred to me that I hadn’t given it a proper
cleaning inside and out since before last hunting season. SO I changed gears
and decided to clean the truck “real quick.” True, I might actually need a
parka in mid-June in Montana
(sure enough, we had a late frost the next night) but it really was a long overdue project. Five
hours later I was wondering if the job would ever end and a few thoughts had
occurred to me.
In back, I
have an enclosed topper for hauling live goats, dead deer, and hay bales. First
of all, you know you’re long overdue on cleaning out the truck when you find
mushrooms growing in the matted hay under the particle board you use as a bed
liner.
Second, there
was still quite a bit of crusted elk blood on the big piece of cardboard I
threw in during hunting season. It was good to get rid of that before a highway
patrolman someday started asking pointed questions and nervously fingering his
sidearm. Besides, if you do happen to have any cardboard in the back of your
truck when you haul your goats somewhere, you won’t have it anymore by the time
you get where you’re going.
Third, in some
parts of the country having 4x4 is a big deal. Here it is essentially standard
and you don’t think anything of it. Four-wheel-drive is just part of the
average commute. In fact, you don’t start to feel truly comfortable driving around in winter (October to May) unless you
have tire chains for at least one axle, a tow rope or chain, jumper cables, a
extra jack, a 4-way lug wrench, a shovel or entrenching tool, rain gear, wool
blanket, and fire-starters. I do have a pre-paid cell phone in the glovebox
that I occasionally remember to take in and charge, but I can’t think of a
single time when I ever needed to use
the damn thing that I actually had cell coverage.
If you have a
dog who likes to ride shotgun sometimes, it’s just as important to wash the
inside of the windshield as the outside. Usually the first topic of
conversation that comes up when I have a passenger, especially my wife, is,
“How can you see to drive with all these nose prints all over the windows?”
The best part
was all the treasures I found that I figured I had lost a long time ago, to
include the missing ratchet strap, my ski waxing cork, a good pair of gloves,
two predator calls, and ammo. Hoo-boy the ammo. Well over thirty rounds, to
include two center-fire rifle calibers, .22 rimfires, 12-gauge shotgun shells,
and a stray .45 ACP pistol snake shotload. Plus about five bucks worth of
assorted change from the ash tray, floor and glove compartment.
I can’t wait
to see what I find when I clean it out again before hunting season.
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