Angels and Pet Washes

The deed is done. We are officially on our way to Oregon. I would like to report that we've had a peaceful, uneventful trip so far, but that has not been the case. All was well until we entered heavier traffic circumventing a city a few hours into our trip. I had just taken over the wheel and my husband was sound asleep, dreaming of ice cream sundaes and ocean waves. I was caught in traffic on all sides of my vehicle and was stuck behind a very slow moving vehicle. Suddenly, the vehicle in front of me swerved and in the blink of an eye I saw that I had two choices. Go head on into an unidentified barrier of black, menacing material, 4 feet high and completely barricading my lane or swerve into the traffic in the next lane. A scream and a jerk of the wheel found me in the adjoining lane with a van desperately trying to avoid hitting me as the driver rode the edge of the ditch. Needless to say, my husband was now very wide awake and I managed to pull over onto the nearest off ramp. The lady in the van also pulled over and we held hands in a cathartic moment of gratitude and well being. After determining that neither of us was hurt and my vehicle had only minor scratches from the unidentified road object, the sweet lady went on her way. Seconds later, our second angel arrived. The county sheriff happened to be leaving his office for the day and saw the event unfold as he drove home. He was able to assure us that we had done nothing wrong and told us that the black object was a pickup bedliner that had fallen off into oncoming traffic. After collecting our wits, my dear husband took over the wheel and very cautiously completed the drive to our day's destination.

One ham and cheese sandwich and a few french fries later, I was almost as good as new. We took a lovely walk in a little town in the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains and came across a delightful service for the canine keepers of the area, a self serve Pet Wash. (I'm sure felines are welcome, too, but we all know that that would not go down well.) The happy little suds-haloed dog on the sign calmed my heart and reminded me that sometimes life's woes can be scrubbed away with a little water, some soap and the wings of angels.