Most of you know that fishing is one of Mr. Handsome’s hobbies. His childhood friend introduced him to the sport when the two were in middle school, and it has been a favorite past-time of his ever since. I often go with him, but only if the weather is decent. He went last weekend when it was cold and rainy, so I stayed behind.
When he came home, I was thrilled to see that he had caught about 20 fish, enough to have a fish fry and freeze some for later. I met him outside to help him unload his gear and found him shoveling mud out of the driver seat of our car. “I ventured a little too far off the gravel road and got stuck in the mud,” he explained.
Oh my. That’s a lot of dirt.
I took a deep breath and decided it wasn’t worth getting angry at him. He’s an adult who doesn’t need to be disciplined, and he clearly felt pretty bad about it already. So I went inside, grabbed some supplies, and helped him clean up the mess. I have to laugh because this whole fiasco is a perfect illustration for my vlog about not sweating the small stuff (something I fail at all the time).
A little bit of rug shampoo went a long way, and the car looks as good as new. Well, maybe not quite…it’s a 10-year-old vehicle, after all. Sure am glad I invested in rubber mats! And in the future, perhaps a car with a dark interior would be a good idea.
SuperJames526
Wow, Ellie. You and Mr. Handsome truly are an inspiration to so many!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you, James! π
Ellie
Anonymous
We have 5 vehicles – 3 with dark and 2 with light. Neither is better at hiding dirt! But what really helps when men do things like this is having 4-wheel drive SUV's. We even have one with "sand tires" for driving on the beach. We don't believe in asking a vehicle to go somewhere or do something it wasn't designed to do, so that's why we have a range of vehicles. Two of them have a spare set of brand new floor mats in case things get really bad looking.
I keep tarps, plastic sheets, garbage bags, and towels in all the vehicles for whatever messes we encounter. I even keep a change of shoes in the back of the vehicle I drive the most. Looks like any or all of those would have helped Mr. Handsome.
Anonymous
Sorry, but most people can't afford to upkeep five vehicles.
Anonymous
Good for you for having 5 SUVs, brand new spare car mats and a range of other gadgets. I'm glad Ellie was able to show us that all she needed was some rug shampoo, a little elbow grease, and a whole lotta' love and forgiveness π
Anonymous
They're not all SUV's, and they weren't all new when we got them. The newest is 2 years old and the oldest is 14 years. Three of them are over 10 years old. Our biggest upkeep expenses are insurance, state tax, and tags. Mechanically, one vehicle only had 700 miles on it last year, so all it needed was an oil change. Because we don't drive the wrong vehicle into the wrong situation, we don't end up beating up our vehicles or causing ourselves undue trouble. We have 3 drivers so we need at least 3 vehicles on any given day. One vehicle is necessary for getting to college classes and another to work, no matter what the weather.
I would not drive a sedan, which seems to be what's pictured, off-road or into mud. That's what SUV's and 4WD are for. If this is something Mr. Handsome is going to do from time to time, it may be worth investing in a used SUV that can handle wherever he needs to go without getting stuck.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
I agree with the first commenter…having a 4WD SUV would have been a great help! This car is getting up there in age, so perhaps that is in our future.
And keeping tarps, plastic sheets, garbage bags, and towels in vehicles is a great idea! π
Ellie
Anonymous
Ellie, you are so gracious. You truly radiate the grace of God.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
You are very kind! Thank you for your lovely words.
Ellie
Anonymous
That's gross. Good thing you got it clean. Good think you stayed behind.
How did he get mud in the car?
nashvillewife@gmail.com
I know, it is pretty gross. He was stuck so deep that he had to have one foot outside the car while pushing lightly on the gas and trying to rock the car out of the mud. After about an hour, some friends with a backhoe came to his rescue.
Ellie
Anonymous
All I can say is, All My Goodness. Did the mud come off his shoes. If so I hate to see what his shoes look like.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Some of it came off his shoes, but most came in when he had the door open trying to rock the car out of the mud. LOL. We left his shoes out in the rain, and they aren't too bad now.
Ellie
Shela G
You handled the situation well Ellie!! Glad you and Mr Handsome were able to get the car cleaned up.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you, Shela! π
Ellie
Anonymous
First glance, I thought the car had been flooded! That's a lot of mud to get in a car otherwise. Mr. H must have worked really hard to achieve that, LOL!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Part of me is glad I wasn't there, but part of me would have liked to watch to see how it all went down. LOL!
Ellie
Anonymous
Any time I think there is a good chance of going off road, there is snow, or it's mud season around here, I keep a shovel in the car, and usually a gallon of drinking water, a bag of almonds, and a sleeping bag. My friends like to tease me about being neurotic, but I feel much better knowing I'm prepared if I get stuck.
As for your car, what's a little mud between friends?
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Great ideas! Haha, that's true. At the end of the day, a little bit (or a lot, in this case) of mud isn't a huge deal.
Ellie
nashvillewife@gmail.com
But my thoughts would probably be slightly different if the carpet cleaner hadn't have worked. Haha.
Ellie
Anonymous
This is pretty hilarious! Life is more fun when the unexpected happens! (And no one gets hurt in the process…) How on earth did all that mud get in there though??? Was he driving with the door open???
nashvillewife@gmail.com
I know, I'm glad no one was hurt! Yep, he was driving with the door opened, with one foot out the door and the other foot pushing lightly on the gas…
Ellie
Robyn
Lol! I bet he had a blast trying a new path. I'm pretty impressed that much mud made it in the car. Well done on choosing not to sweat the small stuff! It's not easy but so worth it for a healthier marriage. Yay for carpet shampoo π
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you, Robyn. π I think he did enjoy himself (probably felt pretty manly, lol), although he says he wouldn't choose to do it again. Carpet shampoo is a great invention!
Ellie
Anonymous
I would be upset at my husband if this happened. But you handled it so well Ellie.
We have a lot to learn from you!
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you. You are very kind. I'm sure there's a lot I could learn from you, as well.
Ellie
Millie
I'm really impressed at the volume of mud he managed to get in the truck – I'm a biologist and I don't think I've ever been this bad! It was so kind of you to help him clean up without much of a fuss. I've been trying to work on that too (work pants on the floor after work – agh!).
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you for your kind words, Millie. And I know, I was impressed at the volume of mud, too. He was stuck really deep and tried for an hour to get himself out. Some friends with a backhoe came to his rescue.
What kind of work do you do as a biologist?
Ellie
Anonymous
You are a very patient, loving wife, Ellie! π
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Well thank you! That's very sweet of you to say. π
Ellie
betty
wow is the car salvageable? lots of mud!! guess mud is fun for some……hubbies.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
That's exactly what I thought when I saw it. I was ready to go inside and start the search for a new car. LOL. But we cleaned it up, and now you can hardly tell there was a pile of mud in it. Carpet shampoo really does work wonders.
Ellie
Anonymous
What a mess! Glad you got it cleaned up….
It's been really wet and muddy where I live in Illinois too.
-Sarah
nashvillewife@gmail.com
It seems like it has been a rainy spring for lots of folks. I heard that there has been flooding in IL (as well as MO and AR). Is that close to you?
Ellie
Anonymous
My husband is a soldier, and he has come home from his field exercises pretty grungy. However, he's never gotten one of our vehicles that filthy before! I just don't see how that much mud could get in one car??
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Thank you for serving our country. Be sure to thank your husband, as well. Has he been deployed yet in his career?
I know, right? I was thinking the same thing. He said was stuck so badly that he had to open the door and put one foot out, while trying to rock the car back and forth. He said he got the best workout of his life. After about an hour, he was still stuck, but some friends with a backhoe came to his rescue.
Ellie
Anonymous
No, my husband hasn't been deployed yet, but he did spend two years in Korea.
nashvillewife@gmail.com
Be sure to thank him for his service. π
Ellie
Anonymous
what kind of fish did he get?
Ellie
I believe it was crappie that time, maybe a few bass