Last Nice Day?

                    

The forecast is that today was the last nice day for a while.  The winds have kicked up this evening and it will blow all the warm air out.  Behind it is a cold front that will have the temperatures drop some 30 degrees.  Fun wow!?  By late tomorrow afternoon they are calling for snow to fall.  Yeap, they've said it before and we got none, but somehow I feel this time they will be on the mark.  With any luck it won't be a repeat of Thanksgiving week a couple years ago.  

It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and about mid morning the flakes began to fall.  I don't mean the flakes I work with either! :)  At first it was a beautiful snowfall.  The thick heavy flakes that stuck to everything as they landed.  The bare branches of the trees were glistening as the white slowly attached to them in all the right places.  By lunch time we already had several inches, and now it wasn't so pretty.  Mixed with the leaves that had still been scattered over the landscape it made a very sloppy mess.  It was even thundering and lightening.  Shortly before 3 a couple of us walked outside to get a good look.  Our office is on Main Street and traffic was moving very slowly.  Plows had been by earlier, but there was little that would make that visible now.  The snow had now piled about half way up the tires on a car parked near by.  When we entered back into the office it was announced we would be closing at 3 so we could get home safe.  I called my son to let him know and he was amazed.  "Why are they closing Mom?"  Living about 20 minutes from the office (highway time) it was not snowing at my house.  I let him know it would be coming and I would be home soon.   

I shut down my computer and gathered my belongings.  As I headed to the parking lot to clear my car, it was a disaster.  The snow was to my knees and the pile on my car was a good foot and a half.  As I cleared my car I heard tires spin and people curse.  The guys started helping and pushed us out of the lot.  Our lot had not been plowed at all during the day and we all thought once we got on the streets it would be easy going.  Since I was pretty close to the entrance, I was one of the first pushed out.  I skidded as I turned on the street, blew kisses and tooted my horn.  "Yeah, I am on my way!"  After I turned off the back road it took me about half an hour to get a block.  There weren't many cars on the path I chose so I had no thoughts of turning back.  I WAS going home!  I slowly made my way, and slowly is not understating it.  At 7:30 PM I had only gone a short distance, something that would normally take me maybe 20 minutes.  I hadn't moved in a good hour, no one had.  Apparently, up the road a bus had skidded and was blocking both lanes of the street.  I was glad to hear no one had gotten hurt.  

So now, it's been over 4 hours since I left work, and my bladder was calling.  No, it wasn't calling, at this point it was screaming.  I was contemplating opening both the front and back door on the passenger side and squatting right there.  I was not going in my car, and I really wasn't sure I had any other options.  All the houses in the area were dark and looked to be locked up tight.  I prayed, I laughed, I worried about my son.  Surely it had started snowing at my house, I should have been home long ago and I had no phone to call him.  Just then an Angel appeared.  A woman walked out her front door to survey her street.  I turned off my car and grabbed my keys (I have no idea why, it wasn't like anyone could steal it and go anyplace), but I ran to her ready to beg.  Not necessary at all.  She opened her door without a second thought and would not even let me take my boots off.  She offered her phone, some food, and a drink.  My Angel for sure!  I thanked her and made sure I got her address as I walked down her steps back to my car.  I got in my car and wrote the information down so not to forget it.  

At this point several cars had been able to maneuver and get turned around to go back the way they came.  It was my opening and I did the same thing.  Thank God for small cars!  I got moving and made my way down another street.  It was now about 8 in the evening.  I only went about 5 more blocks and the snow had stopped.  Actually, it had never started there.  The roads were clear, the sky was clear and stars were shinning. I went from going about 5 mph to about 40 in a matter of seconds.  It was so clear I even stopped at the grocery store for a few things as I really did think it would come my way before the night was over.  I also grabbed a Thank You card to send to my Angel with no name.  

So, I left work at 3 that day and got home at 9.  I was one of the lucky ones, I GOT home.  Some coworkers didn't even make it out of the parking lot.  Others made it a block or two and went back (either with their car or walking).  Others were stranded on the roadside for the night.  Some were lucky and found a bar or restaurant open were they could hang out.  I think the city ended up with 3 feet of snow in a matter of a few hours.  Because everyone was trying to get out at the same time it caused a major grid lock.     

I've lived here the majority of my life and this is not the norm, contrary to what some media wants you to believe.  Normally things are cleared in a short period of time, but with all the cars on the roads it took a bit longer.  I'm more prepared for things like this now.  I have some necessities in my car, and extra food in my desk at work.  It will probably be another 20 years before it happens again, but with all the wild weather and natural disasters we have been seeing I am taking no chances!