grapefruit

I'm used to having my plans in the winter changed because of the weather with Mike's job. What happened today though I wasn't prepared for. My plans changed because of grapefruit. We were supposed to go to Sioux Falls to finish shopping fairly early this morning, but after Mike received a phone call that there was a rollover on the interstate plans changed.

The driver of a semi fell asleep and hit a guard rail, later swerving and then rolling over, spilling his loaded trailer of grapefruit all over the median and road.

The tractor came to rest on the road.
And the top peeled open just like a can. Full boxes of grapefruit spilled everywhere. Mike called me and said it was probably going to take awhile to clean up the mess.

Little did I know it was going to take 6 1/2 hours to get the mess cleaned up. They had to hand pick every fruit, finish unloading the truck, and continue to clean up the median. Two tow trucks hooked up to the wrecked rig and pulled it upright.

The employees of the DOT and Dakota Service came to help get things stacked up. I'm sure they didn't expect that call either....to find out they were coming in to clean up grapefruit.

They loaded some of the grapefruit into another truck. Then the rest of the grapefruits filled an entire plow truck and half of another one.

Tonight we have been dumping the fruits out of the plow truck through the sander chute into a cow water bin, then sorting out the bad ones, which are very few. The good ones are getting tossed into sacks and will be given away. Tomorrow we have many people coming to get fruit, including people who are eating them and even a farmer who wants them for his chickens! Whatever is leftover will go to the landfill. So like I said, I've seen my plans change because of snow and ice, but not because of grapefruits. :)