This morning upon waking up I just happened to look at the Monteagle community Facebook page. I was shocked to see that the town was shut down due to a toxic chemical spill on the other side of town. So I hung around the cottage for a couple more hours until all was clear. The excavator had texted asking what was up, because he hit a road block. I wasn’t sure if he was going to another job instead or what. Around eleven he texted again saying he was at the site. We chatted a little, then they got to work. It took about four hours to get the trees down. They didn’t take down all that I wanted because I think I will cut some down myself and grind the stumps. The root balls just leave too big a hole to remove all of them. After the finished we had a late lunch at Hardees. I called down to the Kubota dealer to see if my mower was ready, and it was, so I hooked up my trailer, packed my bags, and headed on. I got it and continued home. The drive was uneventful until I reached Highway 431. There a pickup tried to pass a car on a double yellow line and the car accelerated to prevent it from happening. Just beyond that at a stoplight the female driver of the truck pulled out a pistol and started waving it at the car. Both sped off. Liz and Luke were eating dinner when I arrived home and it was good to see them both.

The day started off great. I woke up with the sun, had a nice shower, checked out of the hotel, took my very first Uber to the auction, waited a few minutes for them to open, and finally had a very nice lady help me with the paperwork for the truck. All I had to do was go out to the parking lot, find my truck, drive it to the check-out gate, then be on my way. I walked to my truck and checked it out. It was dirty, as the pictures had indicated, missing the rear view mirror, which I hadn’t noticed, and was overall well used. But it was still the truck I wanted. It cranked right up and I put it into drive. Then the issues started.

It hesitated then jerked into gear. I had a sinking feeling but continued to drive to the exit. As the opportunity to drive a little faster arose, I hit the accelerator and there was again a long hesitation before another jerk. By this time I was feeling pretty sick. I drove to the exit building, parked, and went in. I found a guy and told him about the issue. He came out and drove it, said he experienced the same problems, went back inside, and came out to tell me that I would be refunded. So that was a huge relief. I got another Uber back to the airport and booked another Southwest flight while sitting in the lobby. I was again able to check in and get through security quickly, and only had to wait an hour or so before boarding. This time I had the whole row to myself and our flight was even shorter due to a tail wind. I exited the plane and the terminal, and Liz arrived to pick me up about ten minutes later.

It was an easy drive home and Luke had just woken up from his nap when we arrived. I had lunch with him then packed up before hitting the road. I stopped at the trailer dealer in Winchester and a mini mart in Pelham before ascending the Mountain. My first stop was the supply store where I bought some bolts. I drove by the lots to see if the excavator had come. He had not. I went to Lake O’Donnell around sunset, then over to the Templeton Library. Next I stopped by the Monteagle library to use the internet before getting some food at Piggly Wiggly. I talked with Liz on the phone for a few minutes, now I am just trying to recover from an exhausting day.