He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. —Psalm 113:9

December 28, 2009

Go, Snow

Dirty snowI am a fan of snow only when it's the very first snow of the season, when it's falling and shortly thereafter, when everything is hushed and magical and clean, and it looks like the world has been tucked in with a really big, unblemished blanket. After that, the snow gets dirty and pocked and ugly, and the practicalities and inconveniences of having to live with it sink in, and I'm ready for it to go away and stay gone for another year. Which doesn't usually happen, at least with the first snow.

Of course, here it's never JUST snow. There's always ice mixed in, giving everything from walking to driving an EX-TREEEEME! edge of danger of bodily injury or death. When it sleeted and snowed on Christmas Eve, we were fine with it, because we were all stocked up on provisions and had no reason to leave the house. Until we realized we were out of cat food. And then it was the end of the world and everyone in this house who matters was doomed to starvation unless I put on my snow boots and schlepped myself a mile (round-trip) to the grocery store along sidewalks that were piled as high as three feet with lumpy gray snow and ice boulders cast aside by the snow plows.

At this point, I could have driven, IF said snow plows hadn't dumped said three-feet high piles of lumpy gray show and ice boulders right across the entrance to our street. That barricade didn't deter all of our neighbors, and so we garnered some entertainment from watching from our bedroom window as cars kept getting stuck trying to get over the mini ice wall that stood between our icy street and the completely clear and drivable main road. I learned enough from the mistakes of others to make the wise decision to walk to the store. Although, with all of the uneven snow, and especially on the return trip loaded down with 20 pounds of groceries, it was more of a hike, and also the most intense workout I've gotten in a while. But in the end the cats were fed and our cars were still safely parked in the driveway, and no pushing or digging had to happen, so I call it a win.

More snow is supposed to happen in the next day or two, so we decided we'd better load up on significantly more than 20 pounds' worth of groceries while we had the chance. Thankfully, by now the ice wall at the end of the street had been sufficiently melted off and smooshed down by other cars for mine to be able to make it over without any problems. Aside from some slight fish-tailing on the still-frozen side street, I made it there and back okay, and grabbed another bag of cat food just in case, because MAN those girls can eat. So now we're ready to hunker down and be total shut-ins for as long as the weather forces us to be. But that doesn't make me any less ready for the snow to get thee gone.

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