It snowed last night.It started as a thunderstorm that turned into hail. The hail woke up me, the thunder kept me up. Weird to see thunder and lightning in a snowstorm.
But I fell back to sleep and woke up to the news that there was a giant, very dangerous storm that is ransacking the state. Actually, the word the liked to use best was treacherous. That, evil, deceitful storm! Such treacherous travel! Deceiving the wayfarer with its untold danger! Doesn't seem that underhanded to me; you drive on ice, you're going to slide.
But anyway, the news urges us all to stay inside at all costs and now I have to decide what to do. I've been in one traffic accident caused by icy conditions and I have no desire to share the road with panicky Texans dealing with a rare storm. But the office is open, and so there isn't much choice so off I go.
First: let me say that as a new garage owner, what a delight it is having that. Warm, dry car and hands. No chiseling and scraping, very nice.
Second: there was maybe an inch and half of snow on the ground. You can see how much made it onto my deck above. Nothing. The drive in was delightful. One of my best drives to work yet, in fact. There were a couple of minor spots (you cant go that slow up the hill, dude! Don't get on the bumper of the guy stopped at the top of the hill on the ice! If you are stuck on the ice in traffic, put your hazards on! Correct that fishtail!) but for the most part the roads were very clear of other motorists and I liked the peace. And it had pretty much stopped. I didn't even need my wipers.
I will give them this, though; it's not the snow, it's the ice and they are nearly completely unprepared for it. Big stretches of icy roadway were actually worse on the drive home, even though they had all day to salt them. I can understand why there are lots of accidents and people stay home.
But if Santa Anna had wanted to take over this place, he could have beaten them by fighting for it in Canada. Big bad Texas went running from an inch of powder.
Work was also peaceful. Pretty much everybody called in as a "work from home day".
But who sucked it up and actually went in?
Who braved the treacherous drive and showed up to keep the place going?
Northerners.
Well, Northerners without children who were set home from school, but Northerners.
Yee haw.
sing never ever be cowed by a couple of flakes to a rousing refrain of 'never look away dixie land
ReplyDeleteteach a crowd of strandees how to make snow angels in the strret
takes closeups of the snow with gijoe figures combatting
Of course they didn't salt the roads -- they probably didn't have any salt! We like to remember the giant storm that hit Oregon one winter when we were there. It really did snow a ton. People were shoveling their driveways with garden spades and the city had to borrow plows from the mountains. Schools were closed for three days! Meanwhile, the drift at the end of our driveway is now over my head, so take your blessings where you find them.
ReplyDeleteCheers from the Northland --