My neighbor Larry and I shoveled for about 30 minutes and then it took another 30 of 'rockin' and rollin' - drive/reverse/drive/reverse - before I finally got her to the street.
All's well that ends well. I have a conference call at 8:30 AM and hope to be on the road, such as it is, by 10:30. The side roads, like mine, are a mess - just a thick layer of ice with deep ruts of icy water - but all the main arteries are in pretty good shape, I understand.
It has been announced that local schools are closed until Wednesday or Thursday. There is a Regional School System here, so everyone takes the school bus. Because the side roads are in such bad shape, it's not safe to run the buses on them.
It's also estimated that it's going to cost $35 - $40 Million to clean up this mess.
You'll excuse me if I don't wax poetic about snow.
This is the latest from the House of Kateon "Necessity is the Mother of Invention" fashion line of snow boots.
Don't laugh too hard. They worked. Except, they were admittedly a bit slippery. No traction with plastic. My feet were dry, however, which was the point.
What's that old expression? "Redneck is as Redneck does." I think I've done my share, thank you very much. Not full fledged Redneck. It would have been full fledged Redneck if I had used duct tape. I couldn't find it so I used packing tape.
Close enough. Enough to be considered - (Wait for it!) - 'White Trash'.
(Thank you, thank you very much. I'm here all week. Try the salad bar.)
Off I go, then. Back to the rectory and then to the Old Salt Mines for Jesus.
I sure am gonna miss this place - snow drifts, cold winds, icy ruts and all.
UPDATE: Perhaps I spoke too soon. There was a broken water man on the main road off Long Neck, which has delayed my leave time by "a coupla hours". Sigh. I hope to get out of here by no later than 2 PM - in plenty of time to miss the next snow storm scheduled to dump another foot of snow beginning sometime Tuesday night. Amazing! Simply amazing!
10 comments:
That was truly an adventure, and I'm glad you shared it with us. Jack London has nothing on you!
(And I'll be glad to provide more redneck lessons any time. First thing you gotta do is put some duct tape over at that place. Black electrical tape runs a close second, btw.) Then a couple tubes of J-B Weld Epoxy and you pretty much have the Redneck Repair Kit.
Your boots remind me of a couple of winters we lived in Connecticut --and there was a lady there who never slipped in the snow and ice, while I spent time crawling across it all... come to find out she took old fashioned bottle openers, with the point hook at one end and the square hook at the other --ran string through the holes of the openers and tied them to her shoes --like crampons except cheaper and easier. Made the biggest, baddest sheet of ice in to a piece of cake!
We are still digging out and slipping and sliding here too! Thinking of you.
I hope you did not forget to thank Lucy True Bug for services beyond the call of duty. Bug gives, and gives, and gives and asks so little in return (Can you believe we ever considered seat warmers "optional?" What were we thinking? Savages!).
Well, Kirke - That may be "redneck" but it sounds like good old fashioned common sense to me.
Margaret - What a GREAT idea. Hmm . . . what passes for 'redneck' in one part of the country is 'good old fashioned NE ingenuity' in another.
Prejudice, anyone? (Raises hand sheepishly, walks away, head down.)
KJ - I love, love, love my Lucy True Bug. She's the BEST. The heated seats are just the frosting on the cake. She gives me GREAT gas mileage and makes me feel very safe when I'm driving. She's going to get a full, warm bath when I get back to NJ.
We are to be hit with the full prarie blizzard tonight. Another 10 - 12 inches are forecast for the Chicago area. We get relatively few February storms but some of them a famous. Hunker down and stay warm cause when it is done with us it is heading your way!
It is good to know you are on the way home. Drive safe
FWIW
jimB
I'm going to be in Chicago on the 23rd. Hope it's all clear by then. Hope y'all are okay when the storm hits. Prayers ascend.
I am SO glad you mentioned duct tape. As I gazed at your artful solution to the problem, I kept thinking, "Duct tape around the instep would really make them more secure and would keep dear Elizabeth from slipping so!"
Exactly, Catherine. I've already bought a roll of duct tape to take back down there with me. Because, you never know when you're going to need a good roll of duct tape.
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