SNOW

Well, after a week of everyone having a cold we all finally seem to be mostly better. Both kids still seem a little stuffed up, and I keep going back and forth with a slightly sore throat, but overall we all look pretty healthy. Thank goodness - nothing sucks like being sick!


Monday we had a huge snowstorm. I happened to be on the phone with Becki at 11:25 when she mentioned the weather. I looked outside and saw grey skies, but nothing too ominous. At 11:33 it started to snow. By the time we left the house, at 12:00, to take Tessa to school, it was white out conditions. Visibility was maybe 5 feet - cars were coming out of nowhere. I almost turned around to come home several times, but I just knew that if I did the snow would clear up immediately. We made it there fine, though it took us about 30 minutes instead of the usual 10-15. I was only driving about 10mph for most of the mountain, because I literally couldn't see anything but white. The way home was a bit better, but I think that was mostly because I figured out that driving with my window down gave me a better view. There were lots of cars that were just stopped on the side of the road - plenty of them big trucks like mine.

By the time we went to pick Tessa up the snow had mostly stopped, though the plows still hadn't been out. There were about half a dozen cops stationed around the mountain, too - making sure people drove carefully, I'm sure. At least a dozen cars had been abandoned on the road. Honestly, I have no idea where their drivers went! It was freezing cold and the wind was blowing so hard - I can't imagine getting out of my car!

I know it's terribly egotistical of me, but the fact that I was able to make it up and down the mountain twice without incident in such an awful storm makes me feel like a superior driver. I'm careful and skilled and calm - good for me. I suppose patting myself on the back about my driving skills is better than some other things!

After we got home from school I left the kids inside to shovel snow. I was out for over an hour and only got a little more than half of the driveway shoveled. We had about 18 inches on the majority of the driveway, though it's drifted as high as 3-4 feet on the side I didn't get done. The hardest hard about it is that since it was snowing so hard and the wind was blowing so fiercely the snow is packed against the ground and needs to be chisled and scraped up. Hard work! That's okay, since it ended up serving as my workout for the day.


I also ended up shoveling on Tuesday morning, and a bit more in the afternoon. Matt took care of it Wednesday before he left for work, because I was whining so much about how badly my back hurt. I only had to take about an inch off Wednsday afternoon. It's clear so far today, but we're supposed to have another storm moving in. The porch hasn't been cleared from the last storm, so I need to go out and do that. Nothing sucks worse than new snow on top of old snow...

We may have to break down and buy a snow blower before next winter. I'm reluctant - there are so many other things I'd rather spend $1000 on! Plus, this is record snowfall. It wasn't this hard last year and it probably won't be next year, either.

Anyway - there's a LOT of snow out there! I need to take a picture. We need to take the kids sledding, Tessa keeps asking. Maybe this weekend.