Stuck In The Mud

On this day, the 105th day of January, I feel sorry for myself because this winter has been so long.  On the way out to the road to collect the trash cans (because the garbage company cancelled service on my normal Monday due to the blizzard), I pause to use one of my feet to deepen a drainage channel on my gravel driveway.  I stand long enough on one foot, like a flamingo, that my other foot sinks into the class five gravel deep enough to get stuck. I pull my foot up five times and it is still stuck.  Seriously?  How long will I be stuck in my own driveway? I glance down at the vernal pond that forms every spring. I think to myself that it could be worse. A wood frog has it worse than I do.  The thaw/freeze cycle that wood frogs go through on the floor of a forest would be worse than having a boot stuck in the mud for a couple minutes.  Or how about a turtle?  A turtle is stuck in the mud on the bottom of a lake breathing through it's anus.  I would hazard a guess that turtle longs for a breath of fresh air. I put my weight on the side of my foot and pull up again.  I am free at last.