Driving home a couple of weeks ago. I just love the constant "storm watch weather forecasts" on the radio every 30.5 seconds... here's an idea- look outside the window! It's snowing! We know that!
After last winter finally ended sometime around Canada Day (ok, maybe it was a leeetle bit earlier than that but not by much) I remember thinking to myself, "it really can't get any worse than that." Not so fast Miss Optomistic! This winter is shaping up to be even more of a cold, blustery, snowy "Canadian" winter than last year! Only this year I'm prepared.... no more getting caught sideways halfway up our (very looong, uphill) driveway.
To explain: This is just one of more than a few winter-related predicaments contributing to my bias against last winter... It was a snowy Sunday in March, the day before my first day teaching Grade Three. I had been offered my very first teaching job, taking over a maternity leave, and after supply teaching for 9 months I was sooo excited to be able to try out life as a "real" teacher. I arrived home after the gym, and was about halfway up the driveway when the car suddenly started sliding sideways! I tried to straighten out but that only made it worse and I lost the ability to move the car all together, sideways or otherwise. Completely alone at the time as the rest of the family was living on temporary assignment in Brazil, I began to panic.
What to do?
Just then my hero appeared at the top of the hill. Clouse, our soft spoken yet very kind next door neighbour, emerged through the blowing snow, brandishing, to my utter delight and relief, the perfect weapon of ice destruction- an enormous bucket of salt! Clouse offered to not only give me the entire bucket of super duty salt, but also to help me spread it around the car. After about an hours work, we finally made enough slush so that the tires could gain traction and I could realign the car with the driveway. I thanked Clouse profusely and spent the next 3 hours in the dimming light, hauling 5 inch thick ice blocks over the side of the retaining wall so that I could back the car down to the edge of the driveway. After that I just started parking at the bottom of the driveway and walking up to the house. I will always be eternally grateful to Clouse for coming to my rescue that day.
What to do?
Just then my hero appeared at the top of the hill. Clouse, our soft spoken yet very kind next door neighbour, emerged through the blowing snow, brandishing, to my utter delight and relief, the perfect weapon of ice destruction- an enormous bucket of salt! Clouse offered to not only give me the entire bucket of super duty salt, but also to help me spread it around the car. After about an hours work, we finally made enough slush so that the tires could gain traction and I could realign the car with the driveway. I thanked Clouse profusely and spent the next 3 hours in the dimming light, hauling 5 inch thick ice blocks over the side of the retaining wall so that I could back the car down to the edge of the driveway. After that I just started parking at the bottom of the driveway and walking up to the house. I will always be eternally grateful to Clouse for coming to my rescue that day.
Anyhoo, we are in the midst of another blizzard today. Not even our usually all-season cat is willing to brave the weather. She has a lot in common with my Pilates teacher who cancelled the class today! Not too happy about that. Now I just feel trapped inside the house. These photos don't do the blizzard justice as it is much more howly and snowy than this looks, but here is what it looks like from the doorways of our house. I was too chicken to go outside...gotta love snow squalls and a minus 19 degree wind-chill....Global Warming my you know what!
Front-door view
Backyard. Look closely- the pool is almost full of snow!
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