The Universe Has a Chuckle at Val's Expense

Some days, The Universe plots against me. The simple pleasures, such as my 44 oz Diet Coke and scratchers, require extraordinary effort to procure. Like Monday, when work started on MODoT's project to resurface and widen the county lettered highway that I take into town. It runs right by Hick's Storage Unit Store. That's where the work began.

Heh, heh! Ol' Val is pretty crafty! I had a plan at the ready. Ever since that portable sign began running the date that roadwork would start, I knew an alternate route. Or two.

What I DIDN'T plan on was the county road department trimming trees along the county blacktop road that takes me to the lettered highway. I squoze T-Hoe around their dump truck with six yellow-shirted workers standing around, and their man-lift truck, and the truck with the only guy working. AND I made a mental note to come back on a different route to avoid them.

Right after I passed the prison on the lettered highway, I made a left turn, to go by Mick the Mechanic's shop, and the bowling alley, through two roundabouts, and come out at the Gas Station Chicken Store. Uh huh. I could even SEE those MODoT workers holding up traffic farther toward town. I mentally patted myself on the back for being so crafty.

I started home by reversing the route. All was fine through the roundabouts, past the bowling alley, past Mick's. Hullo! What's this then? A NEW SIGN was posted as I got back on the lettered highway, saying that traffic would stop, and a PACE CAR would be in use! Huh. News to me! There it was, in front of the prison. No pace car yet, but a guy with a STOP/SLOW sign directing traffic.

Oh, well. That wasn't too bad. I proceeded, and went past my regular turnoff, to avoid the tree-trimmers. There's more than one way to skin a cat. Metaphorically speaking, of course. I tooled along, smug with the thought that I was outsmarting those obstacles placed in my way. Until I rounded a curve, and saw

...the new fly in my ointment. A HAY WAGON trundling along my alternate county blacktop road. Surely it wasn't going all the way to my gravel road. I had, at most, about a mile to follow it. So I crept closer, resigned to a delay.

No getting around that giant round bale! Until...

The tractor driver stopped at my first turn, to let me around! It was then I saw that I was dodging not a single bullet, but SIX! That might LOOK like two trailers, each holding two bales. But I assure you, there were THREE bales on each trailer. My new SamGalA may have three cameras, but only one has stepped up so far to fit my photo needs. I'm sure the lack of focus wasn't due to my shaky hand while driving...

Of course I gave that Deere driver the friendly WAVE as I passed by.