Donuts on Ice!

My son had been in the Hospital a few days, having tubes put in his ears and getting his tonsils removed. Jeff had been sick most of his young five years. His tonsils were so large, the slightest sore throat or cold was life threatening for him. His surgery went very well and recovery was great. But Jeff didn’t seem to want to talk anymore. His throat hurt him when he would say anything, so he just stop talking. Instead he would shake his head yes or no.

This January winter day in 1975, on the day we were to go home, the roads were icy and still had snow on top of the ice. I had my car and didn’t want my husband to leave work and come get us. I was kinda used to driving on ice so decided to drive home. I got Jeff checked out of the Hospital and loaded in the warm car. It was a thirty minute drive home and I was nervous. Taking it slow and easy we made it out of town and was doing very well on the country road. There were only a few cars in front of me and we were all staying a safe distance from each other. Driving about the same speed. The road was slick and the car would slide a little, but as long as I stayed in the car tracks it was fine. I was talking to Jeff most of the time, trying to calm him. He still wasn’t saying a word just shaking his head yes or no.

I noticed one of the cars ahead turned off onto a side street. Then after a bit another car went around a pick up ahead of us. The pick up was driving slower and for us to keep our cars moving at a steady speed it was inevitable to go around this pick up. So each car took its turn going around this truck. When it came my turn, I had to wait for the ongoing traffic to clear. My car was really slowing down and up ahead was an incline in the road. I knew I had to go now and get up speed to make it up this incline, or this pick up and I would both be stuck and maybe slide off the road. I knew this road well and there were several more inclines ahead that were much bigger. So I gave it some gas and turn the car into the other lane to go around. As the car hit the icy snow in the center of the road my car went into a spin. It felt like my car turned around a few times. But it had only turned around once, and my car was going back the way we came in the other lane.

My son who hadn’t spoken for a day, finally said ‘Mom, we’er going the wrong way home’! I smiled at him and said ‘yes I know’. I’ll stop at the station we past half a mile back and call Dad to come drive us home, I’m just too nervous to drive the rest of the way home. Dad will be surprised when we tell him we did a donut on ice! Jeff and I both laugh, because we knew how Dad liked to play on ice and snow, and do donuts.

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