I almost died today

It's true.

No, not really. But it could have been.

It was 5:56 am. I had just brushed two inches of snow off my car and was ready to get in and head off to work. I got in my car, backed out of my parking space, and prepared to stare death in the face.

Death in the form of my driveway, that is.

The thing is a beast.

I knew I was going to have to gun it to make it out with all that snow, so I slammed on my accelerator, the tires spun, and off I went. I made it about 3/4 of the way up when I could tell I wasn't going to go any further.

Unfortunately, I couldn't tell soon enough. Before I could get my car in reverse I started sliding backwards down the driveway. Now, I realized I could have just let it slide down and kept tapping the breaks, but I don't think that fast in a crisis.

I just got a new transmission so I'm not about to put my car in reverse without coming to a complete stop. Or trying to. It didn't work so well. I just about slid backward into the ditch. I kept turning and turning my wheel to the left to avoid the lawn, the whole time trying to get into reverse, when all of a sudden the tires catch and I go shooting off the other side of the driveway, onto the sidewalk.

Yeah, I ran over the sidewalk. And a huge rock. I heard it hit my bumper. Or perhaps the underside of my car. Who can say?

By now I have it in reverse so I correct my path and ease back down the driveway, just terrified of hitting the house. I back up all the way to the garage and prepare to gun it again. The tires catch and I speed up the driveway only to get stopped by the snowplow bank at the top. I let my tires spin until I smell rubber, finally realizing I'm not going to make it on attempt number two either. By that time I had the whole reverse-slide-down-the-driveway down so I got her in reverse before I started sliding and backed down.

Well, 80% backed, 20% slid.

I go all the way back to the garage again. Sat there for a minute to prepare myself and calm my nerves. (And you can bet I was shaking after that. Keep in mind it's very dark at 6am. And it was still snowing.) After I felt ready I decided I was going all the way. No stopping at the top to check for traffic. If someone came they would have to either stop or hit me, because there wasn't going to be anything I could do about it.

I gunned 'er for the third time and just about didn't make it, but make it I did. No one hit me, either. I even went sliding across my lane and into the opposite and managed to not get hit. Fortunately for me there aren't a lot of people on the side streets at 6:02 in the morning.

I decided the next time there's snow I'm making my husband buy me a four-wheel drive vehicle.

Or probably I'll just use the truck to pack down the snow so I can get out with the car. Wish me luck.