Thursday, January 7, 2010

Snow Day

They called off many schools in Middle Tennessee yesterday on speculation of snow. Fortunately it did snow - not much but at least it showed up. We have a dusting with it on the roads, so that qualifies. There are still light flurries off and on. Where my grandchildren go to school on Signal Mtn (part of Chattanooga), Hamilton County didn't call off school until two hours after they were in school. Lots of kids slid and had wrecks. Some had never driven in snow, and it can get bad there pretty quickly. Going up and down the mountain are right-angle turns, hair-pin curves, and steep windy narrow roads. That puts the kids in danger. It's better to err on the side of caution in those cases.

Yankees who move here criticize calling off school when there isn't much snow and make fun of us, but the country roads stayed icy and slick because it would warm up enough to melt it some during the day and the refreeze at night. It's not cost-effective to have all that snow removal equipment like they do in hard winter places. We don't get that much to make it efficient. They salt and scrape main highways and streets, but that's it. I can't get out of my neighborhood when it snows and am in town. It's hilly in every direction which I didn't anticipate as a potential problem in the spring when I bought my house. I can't get a running start to get up any of them, and the one downhill part goes directly onto the by-pass which has a lot of traffic. I'd rather not careen down that and not be able to stop. So I'm stuck. My brother can get here and out in his four-wheel drive truck, but I have a regular car.


I worked yesterday afternoon at the vitamin shop - one of my twice-monthly afternoons of a grueling work schedule that somebody has to do but I manage. Then I went to dinner with Linda at a Chinese restaurant, Ming Court. After that I made a grocery run to pick up a few things I needed and Brigit demanded. She likes that Party Mix which was supposed to be an occasional treat, but since cats are the originators of Asperger's, nothing is occasional if you do it once. Then it's a pattern, and she now expects them regularly. Yesterday was Senior Discount Day at Kroger, so the early-bird seniors had swooped in and bought all the things on special I wanted. Then the snow panic shoppers finished off the rest of the groceries. At least it wasn't crowded.

I could get out today and might if I need to but will probably stay in. I need to get my car serviced but can wait a bit longer, I hope. I forgot to get a couple of things last night but don't want to have to put on make-up and a bra and would need to change out of these sweats. Retired life! Gotta love it!

6 comments:

Mr.Mischief said...

I've lived in Michigan my whole life, and I swear every year most people forgot what skills they earned the previous year driving if any at all-even with that, driving in winter is my least favorite thing to do-even with good driving skills, a bit of black ice can negate all that and make bad things happen *shudder*

the dogs' mother said...

When the kids were all teenagers we had a month of snow and it was piled up everywhere. All the teenagers learned to drive in snow and we pulled lots of their friends out of snowbanks, put them up at our house overnight, hosted 'no school' band sessions for a solid week. Loves snow days :-)

Sam said...

Yes, it's better your stay in and be comfy in your sweats. It use to terrify me that Mom was walking out around in the ice. Not to mention driving, her driving on clear roads was dicey enough.
Thinking of you, leaving Alice, Tx yesterday it was 86 degrees. Today it's 20 with blowing wind in Dallas.

mrs.missalaineus said...

i would never complain about a snow day.


we are getting some this evening and it may be enough to close schools for tomorrow and for once, i am hoping we can get into work because i have worked night and day on the presentation we are giving at our meeting tomorrow. plus i have to get my academic games tournament stuff ready for saturday or my team may have issues if we show up to compete without our games.

we need at least 6 on the ground unplowed with more to follow usually for the schools close. mr. m is right, just having loads of snow is no guarantee a body can be skilled at driving in it.

xxalainaxx

Beth said...

Yeah, I remember the twisty roads in Georgia...I wouldn't want to drive on them with even a couple of inches of snow. Dangerous stuff.

Unknown said...

My brother, also rasied in Maine, says the worst drivers in North Carolina are Maine people because tho they can drive in snow, they have no idea how to handle the very different driving problems you have in the South in the winter.
I believe that. So &#%! the alleged Yankees who hassle you.