My new Country Song

My new country song is called "Stuck in the Mud in Cloutierville." Pronounced Cloochie-ville. Also known as BFE central Louisiana. That was my day.

Up at 7, out the door by quarter til 8 and home by 5:00pm. Now that's a full days work. Not too bad, but when you spend 3 hours stuck in the mud...it puts a damper on your day. Ok, it goes like this:

I go to a house, not in my regular territory. 30 minutes earlier I sat in a storm eating a burger wondering if this was going to affect me..."nah, I'll be fine," I tell myself. I rush to my next claim to beat the rain. I am kicking that rains butt, it is now thirty miles behind me and I laugh as I glance at the dark clouds of where I have just been. I causally slip the the clouds the deuce, pull my sunglasses down and turn off in Cloutierville...

Three phone calls and two miles later I have found the drive way of the insured home. Not pavement, not gravel, not hard dirt, but a mixture of grass and soft mud. I think to myself..."this is going to be fun." I bury my head and take off slipping and sliding in the mud the back of my mind questions if the company will ever provide SUVs...since 80% of my drive ways aren't paved.

Three slides, one close call and a S-curve and I come to rest at the lady's house. Mud on my tires, and sides of my car. I am the coolest city kid I know. I take care of her claim, with a smile and nod I get in my car, reve my engine and look forward to a little fun on the half mile mud drive out. This time, in my cocky mindset, I call my adjuster buddy and say..."Hey, I am going muddin in the pimpin Impala, if I don't call you in Ten minutes...I didn't make it." Not thirty seconds after getting off the phone with him, I take a section of the road at a weird angle and slide off, but not completely. I high-lowed it. With the right side hanging off a three foot ditch and the right side dangles on the road. I put my yellow rain coat on and walk to the RV 150 yards down the road. This just happened to be the insured's parents house and he told me if I get stuck to got there.

I wake the poor, hurricane refuge from Gretna (they got demolished) out of his small FEMA trailer. He gets in his two wheel, rear drive truck and trys to get me out. Yeah, you know where I am going with this. 20 minutes later and no movement from my car and one more buddy stuck in the mud.

The man's son calls someone who gets a tractor and pulls us out. I drive in the grass the remaining way out so as to not get stuck again. I now have a hour and half drive home, soaking wet, covered in mud and freezing. It July and I have the heater in my car on. My at one time new car with a nice new color floor board. Well, I don't know if brown mud is a color, but it seems to be everywhere.

I have to say it wasn't a total wash. I was able to do work as I waited for the tractor to pull us out. The people were extremely nice and I felt like the punch line of one of those country songs sung in smoke filled country bars on kareoke night. I thanked the men profusely and hall ass back to the safety and security of the big city...so to speak.