winter skills | WEGGIEBOY'S BLOG by Doug Thomas

The day started out fine. The kitty boys begged me to play videos for cats, and they were exceptionally good kitties while the videos played.

=(^_^)=

Good fun for the kitty boys! And they were nice to each other while watching the videos.

Yeah. What I saw at 10 o’clock. That’s my black VW Sportwagen buried in a drift!

The day before I’d called the Good Samaritan office to let them know I needed to have the snow cleared so I could get to dialysis Wednesday, and that it needed to be done by at least 10 o’clock so I had adequate time to make the 11 o’clock start time. That, I figured, would give me extra time in case of getting stuck or other snow related issues.

By 10 o’clock Wednesday, no one had come to clear the snow. I WAS PISSED!

My neighbor, Gary, offered to help dig me out. His wife, Donna, told him he had no business exerting himself that way. I protested, too, telling him I expected Good Samaritan to do the job. NOW!

Gary pretended to have chest pains. Donna and I were not amused!

Here’s what the passenger side looked like. The snow was up to just about halfway to my knees.

Note that I park in a handicap parking spot. The Good Samaritan runs the apartment complex I live in, and they are responsible for clearing snow. Theoretically, they will clear snow first for people like me who have medical issues and have to make appointments. Dialysis isn’t optional!

Here’s the driver’s side of my car. The drift was crotch high! I didn’t know if I could even get into the car because the snow came up to a few inches above the bottom of the door.

I managed to get in the car. Gary walked down to the office to remind them in person I had asked for snow to be cleared the day before. Then a couple of maintenance people came over to help clear some of the snow around and behind my car off, but the main snow removal had to wait till the snow plow arrived from Hemingford, 19 miles away!

I tried to back up and got stuck. Gary and the maintenance people got me unstuck, and I drove down the lane and turned west on East 6th Street.

At the intersection of East 6th and Flack Avenue, I saw a pickup truck and a Bobcat blocking the intersection. There was a police car with lights flashing. It looked like an accident, but it might have been people clearing the snow at the intersection. Regardless, I couldn’t pass through the intersection to head north to the hospital. (Yes, I drew on my US Army vocabulary again to express feelings about that!)

I backed up to a turn off to the Good Samaritan parking lot, and headed east to what looked like the best way to get to 4th Street, which would take me to Flack, then the long way around to the hospital by 3rd Street, then Box Butte Avenue, two snow lanes that were cleared. Boyd Street looked impassable, so I turned down Lane 4, which had a path down it, thanks to a pickup.

Here I am on Lane 4…

…STUCK!

Yes, I was thoroughly wet, mad, and running out of time to get to dialysis.

The final trial: I waded through drifts up to my knees to get back to Lane 2 to try to run down a ride and to leave my keys with Gary and Donna so Gary could park my car in my spot after the snow was cleared and the car was unstuck.

I got thoroughly wet below the knees, and barely had the strength to make the full trek. Leroy, one of the maintenance guys, had to come to me for the final stretch to knock down a path for me to walk. I still barely made it. Yes, I cussed like a Sergeant Major all the way. Cleared my lungs, I tell you!

Donna called to find a ride for me. She eventually got the Handibus lined up, and I got to dialysis just slightly later than usual. (The Handibus is a city-run service used mostly by non-drivers, elderly, or handicapped people. You can get door-to-door service at a dollar per ride.)

Did I mention Gary and Donna are the neighbors who took care of the kitty boys for the two months and 10 days I was hospitalized, then in rehabilitation in 2016? Very good people! They helped turn my disastrous snow crisis into a successful trip to the hospital for dialysis.

I had to come up with something for supper, but didn’t feel like getting groceries on such a snowy day.

As usual, there was a long, deep drifty across the front of the house that extended across the sidewalk. I'd have to wade through a couple feet of snow to get to my car...!

As usual, there was a long, deep drift across the front of the house that extended across the sidewalk. I’d have to wade through snow a couple feet deep and more to get to my car…!

Visibility was maybe 100 ft. (30.5 meters) ahead, and the roads hadn’t been cleared yet, especially of people who don’t understand turning on their lights helps others see them, if not them see others. I had visions of getting t-boned at an intersection if I went out and drove…!

But I had an urge for spaghetti and meatballs, so I came up with a plan. I’d buy a large Subway meatball sandwich, put those meatballs in the sauce, and toast the bread they came on in the oven!

I’d have to drive completely across town to get the sandwich, but I thought I could manage if I followed snow routes, main streets that get first attention for snow removal. (But not until after the snow stops! Oops!)

The drive proved uneventful, though, and I arrived safely back home…with the prized meatball submarine sandwich, holding eight ready-to-go meatballs.

Carpet isn'ty the best floor covering at the door in snow country...!

Carpet isn’t the best floor covering at the door in snow country…!

After I put the meatballs in the sauce, I saw the boys wanted to satisfy their curiosity about the latest snowstorm, which still raged outside with strong drift-making winds. I opened the door wide in the little ritual my cats and I have for snow days.

Dougy wasn't too sure he actually wanted to see it now that he saw how it was blowing and snowing. Andy took one look from the distance and ran back into the front room. No snow for Andy! He got the picture!!

Dougy wasn’t too sure he actually wanted to get closer now that he saw how furiously it was blowing and snowing. Andy took one look from the distance and ran back into the front room.

No snow for Andy! He got the picture! And so much for our little snow day ritual. Dougy’s a brave boy, though, and he slowly eased up to the edge of the door — as far as Andy usually goes — and stopped to take in the scene.

Brave but not stupid! No way was he going to venture out into that storm!

“Snow” much for curiosity! Dougy ran off to join Andy in the warm front room!

My mail carrier may have scared off Dougy. I didn't hear her coming, but Dougy surely did, and I gratefully accepted the mail from this poor, frozen servant of the people. That';s her trudging up an incline covered in another drift across the lane. My neighbor gets a big drift the length of the ramp up to her front door.

My mail carrier may have scared off Dougy. I didn’t hear her coming, but Dougy surely did. I gratefully accepted the mail from this poor, frozen servant of the people. That’s her across the lane trudging up a handicap ramp covered in another drift. My neighbor gets a big drift the length of the ramp up to her front door.

You can’t see it, but the car on the left has a huge overhang of snow on the south (left) side. Before I could drive to get the meatball sandwich, I had to knock a similar overhang of snow from my car, the one pointed toward the camera. That’s the way it is here. The wind comes from the north, big drifts form on the opposite side of the cars. There always is a big overhang of snow and a deep drift along the driver’s side of the car unless…

...I back my car into the spot, then the drift isn't on the driver's side where I have to wade through it to get into my car.+

…I back my car into the spot, then the big drift isn’t on the driver’s side.

Winter driving in snow country is as much about strategy as it is defensive driving. I ignored the snow warning the day before, then had to deal with the snow overhang and the long, deep drift I had to wade through to unbury my car. I got needlessly wet and cold, and tracked a lot of snow into my car. Backing into the parking space, I avoid the worst of the problem.

One further hassle: windshield wipers that freeze to the windshield. I turn my car off before the windshield wipers return to the bottom of the cycle, and the melted snow drains off them instead of pooling around them and freezing. I’m ready for the next snow now!

🙁

p.s.: Bing never sang wistfully about a “white January”! Of course, he was from Seattle and lived most of his life in Southern California. What did he know about it?

🙂

p.p.s.: The spaghetti and meatballs tasted great!