Things to be thankful for

A warm New Years Day, for a start. In Alabama, anyhow.

The truck I'm on this week is the one with the bunk heater, so that's not as big a deal as it could be. But it's not nothing, even so. The bunk heater uses power, for the fans if nothing else. And the colder it is, the more power the heater pulls, if only because it runs more.

So on a cold night I expect to get up at least once, to start up the truck and recharge the batteries. This time I slept the night through.

At least until, um, another urgency woke me up.

At which point I discovered the truck stop had shut down for New Years Eve.

And wasn't going to open again for another hour.

And it was kind of urgent.

So I walked down the road a quarter-mile, to a (relatively) nearby suite hotel, where I found a sympathetic desk clerk. One who believed my tale of woe, and kindly pointed me to the lobby restrooms. As if I were a guest.

Now there's something to be grateful for.