For me and the dogs, it seems our life revolves around dog food . . . not just any kibble, but nutritionally sound and healthy food.
As an update, if you remember a few months ago, we had to change suppliers because of the possibility that the local feed store would no longer be carrying the brand we used (You can find the whole story at this crowdfunding link.) Fromm Family Foods graciously offered to work with us, so because of them we now have their distributor delivering to us in Capitan (many thanks to Lincoln County Mercantile for accepting our shipment)
There’s a reason that I refer to my life on my little farm as a “one woman circus.” Nothing is simple and everything is an adventure, sometimes one I would have gladly skipped. For as long as I can remember, even as a child, I would embark on some project that should have been simple to complete, but because of a “what if” mentality, something I’m sure I inherited from my mother, turns into an almost newsworthy event.
Being new to the world of manufacturers and distributors, I wasn’t sure of the timeline between order and shipment and arrival. I placed the September order for dog food so that payment would coincide with my social security check, and I was cutting it close . . . close means two unopened bags of dog food. I was hoping the shipment would arrive by Friday of that week. Well, Friday mid afternoon, I began to get panicky. I had just spent $1000 on a shipment, was running low on dog food, and really did not have any funds to spend on the “old brand.” Plus, it was nearing closing time for the mercantile, and there would be no way to transfer the pallet from truck to my trailer without a forklift. I was also concerned about the dog food just sitting somewhere, unmonitored in a warehouse over the weekend. So, in a slight panic, I emailed the distributor representative, and no sooner had I hit the “send” when I got a phone call from the shipper that he was here and I needed to sign for the shipment.
So I rushed out and hooked up the trailer . . . I had about 1.5 hours to get to the store so that they could use the forklift to unload and load the pallet. Driver called a second time . . . I said he could just have it unloaded there if he was short on time. He said he needed my signature. So I hurried. As I got out to open the gate, I saw the trailer halfway down the driveway . . . it had become disconnected. So I had to go through the whole process of backing up and hooking it up. . . . not a strong point with me. Also had to use brute force to lift the trailer hitch and try to align it with the truck hitch . . . not easy when the driveway slopes.
Finally managed to get it done. . . discovered with all that exertion that my heart was still strong even though my face was a little flushed. Called the driver back and told him what had happened. He politely said it was fine, he was still waiting.
I drove into the store parking lot and see there is no truck. I had assumed he was there. My worst fear was that he decided to leave WITH THE DOG FOOD. By this time his phone was going to voice mail.
So then I drove through town and there he was on the side of the road. I was so focused on getting to the store on time that I didn’t notice him on my way in. He was very nice and polite. I said “you can follow me to the store and they will help with the forklift.” He said there was a lift with a lip on the truck and he had one of those trolleys. So we aligned everything and got ready to unload. Well, the trailer was not wide enough to accommodate the lip so it appeared that the pallet would have to be kind of “dropped”. I could tell we were both envisioning the same thing . . . the pallet going through the floor of the trailer. So, then he said, maybe I’ll just follow you to the store, where they quickly and safely took care of it.
While there at the mercantile, I told the assistant manager about the whole experience and expressed my gratitude that they had quickly unloaded the pallet and got it safely on my trailer. Now that it was all done, I could laugh about it. But this sweet lady signaled to one of the workers to check my hitch to make sure it wouldn’t come apart. He not only did that, but hooked up the safety chains as well.
Angels come in many forms . . . some are just brief encounters of kindness, especially when unexpected. I’m always grateful for the kindness of people who cross my path.
The rest of the story is it took me 3 days to unload and store the bags of dog food. Since I’m not a “spring chicken” anymore, I don’t move as quickly as I used to.
I hope my dogs know how much I love them.
We invite you to be a part of our mission and the lives of our dogs by contributing to our dog food fund. Our MATCHING FUNDS DOG FOOD CAMPAIGN 2018 is still open and we need to get as close to the goal as possible. You can find the form in the footer below. If you would like to be a part of our Monthly Giving program, we would be so grateful. Just click on the form to the right.
Thank You!
