January 29, 2009

• Plowed in, again.

  This has been the craziest winter ever. I've spent a good portion of January buried under snow, snow, and did I mention snow? Makes a body wish for a little bit of that Global Warming to sneak in for awhile.

  We've had another 16 inches blanket our little piece of heaven. I realize that what we got was only the leftovers from a very nasty storm that has made a track from Texas to the Northeast; and yes, I am grateful that we only received snow and not the freezing rain and layers of ice with which so many others have had to contend. But frankly, we have already been there, done that twice around here. The last time left many of us without power for a week. So I feel your pain.

  What I don't understand is how my backwoods, rural "city" has finally got it's game on when it comes to plowing. They must have some psychic on staff that figures out which days I really need to leave the house and then makes their best effort to plug up the out end of my driveway. Now remember I hibernate most of the winter venturing out on my own, at most, four or five times during the entire month. That is mostly due to the cold that accompanies the snow. Let me explain. Firstly, I can and do drive in the snow. I've only ended up in a snow bank once many years ago. I'm apprehensive not neurotic. What I can't avoid is the constant 'What if' going on in the back of my head. Every trip flips a switch in my brain that continuously repeats, in color and full sound, a never ending loop of mental 'What If' worse case scenarios always ending with... and now I'll be forced to walk somewhere, anywhere, TRAPPED in the COLD.  To further complicate the matter is the fact that I don't mind the cold otherwise as long as I have made the decision to venture out into the winter wonderland of my own backyard.  Chilly is ok; cold I hate. Convoluted, I know.

  Anyways....

  Although the snow banks are getting higher and higher, the city always finds enough road rot to drop across the end of the drive, piled high and tight. Anybody who has any sense knows that you can't always burst through to freedom. Why? Because the stuff they leave in my drive is usually cement disguised as snow. Hubby never seems to have that problem because he has his truck AND the city pyschic always waits until he has left to signal his lone rogue plow to do it's duty and block me in. This year Mr. Psychic has kicked his game up a notch. Sometimes he leaves the drive clear and merely plugs up the entire street intersection. Bah! You can get out but you can't go nowhere. He has resorted various ploys from using a School Bus broken down across the intersection to bribing the neighbors into some real funky parking on either side of my drive. Once again... you can get out of the drive but noway can you make a turn, right or left onto the street.

  Today it was pure genius. First it was the remains of last night's snow and wind driven drifts piled neatly across the drive. Then it was the back end of the trash truck while the crew worked on a malfunctioning whatever. Finally BIL showed up and unplugged the drive. Yippee. I really needed to get out today. I had my coffee, bundled up to beat the band, hit the button to the garage door opener, grabbed my lists and purse from the counter, fought my way out the door (the cold has shifted the porch... again), lifted my eyes to the world beyond... and... BIL had left a mound 3 foot high and 6 foot long across the end of the porch steps. Darn, there must have been a whole lot of drifted snow out there. Ok so maybe I can climb that mountain. Wait. Don't bother. He's also left a small ridge directly across the drive. What was he thinking????

  Maybe I could shovel my way out. 

  But

  What if...

   

   

   

  • 9:39 AM
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