We had a nice respite from the worst of winter last week. For me, the best part was having a few days of being able to go from Point A to Point B without fear of sliding off the road.
I have to admit that I usually get off easy when it comes to winter driving. I’m a school librarian, and when the weather is bad, school is called off. One day at the beginning of the month, however, there was a freakish little snow storm early in the morning. For some reason, I didn’t turn on the local news that day and didn’t realize that many school districts in our area had called a two-hour delay. I wasn’t even aware of how hard it was snowing until I got into my car.
Almost immediately, I knew my short commute was going to be difficult. I supervise the five school libraries in my district, and, as luck would have it, was going to the one farthest from my home. This school is located at the top of the steepest hill in town. There’s an alternate route that’s relatively flat, but eventually you have to go up a hill to get to the school.
I chose the alternate route because I was sensing this day (a Friday) was going to be challenging, and by using what I think of as the lower road I would pass a Dunkin’ Donuts. I was going to need an iced coffee. Yes, I am one of those people who drink iced coffee no matter the weather.
It was a good thing I heard the siren call of Dunk’s. I had to crawl along as it was because the snow was piling up faster than the plows could handle. Coming out of the coffee shop parking lot, I skidded as I turned onto the street. Luckily, no one was coming.
A short distance away, I turned right to climb the hill (not the super-steep one, but a hill nonetheless) that led to the school. Again, I skidded on the turn. Ahead of me, a pickup truck careened recklessly out of a shopping-center parking lot. The truck fishtailed. A dashboard light in my Prius indicated the car was “unstable.” Well, to tell you the truth, I was feeling personally unstable right about then. I only had a quarter of a mile to go, but I was wondering if I was going to make it.
The parking lot was barely cleared; again, the snow was coming down too fast to be plowed in a timely manner. When I stepped out of the car, I heard multiple sirens coming from the area I had just driven through. I had a hard time getting my rolling backpack across the fresh snow, which, of course, covered ice. Somehow, still bravely clutching my iced coffee, I made it into the building.
Others began trickling in, with tales of their own to tell. We learned of one colleague who had gone right off the road. I was grateful that I hadn’t had to drive far (only three miles), because I knew how bad that short journey had been.
This winter has been a hard one, and it’s not over yet by any means. I do try to stay home when the roads are bad, even if I am tempted to get my shopping done on a day when I don’t have to go to work.
One “snow day” that closed the schools this winter was actually for an ice storm. My husband, Paul, suggested we go to the YMCA to walk before conditions really deteriorated. Since he was driving, I agreed. The trip over (just a mile) wasn’t bad. But as we walked around the track, we could see through the windows that the storm was intensifying. We came out of the building into a sleet storm. Paul went to get the car. I started off behind him, heading down a slightly inclined curb cut.
I felt myself falling. Extending my arms slightly, I willed myself to find my balance, and remained immobile for a moment. I’d already fallen once this winter and did not want to go down again.
A young woman who was clearing off her car nearby called to me. “Are you OK?” I said, “Yes. I almost fell, but I didn’t!”
Paul was in the car several yards away, looking at me. He realized I was in some kind of peril and headed the car toward me. I got myself into a more secure position, but there was no way I was going to go down that curb cut. Paul swung the car along the curb and I made it safely in.
Winter isn’t easy. It tests us. We have to put on layers and boots and sometimes ice grippers just to get out the door. We take precautions, but can still go off the road or end up sprawled on the ground.
So it was helpful to have a break from all that, to even roll down the car windows a bit to get some fresh air. I hate to think we’ll have another round of nasty weather, but at this point, I am experienced enough to know how to handle it.
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