Monday, November 22, 2010

Snow Snot

I lagged just a few moments this mis morning as I was getting ready to go to work. It snow and snowed over the weekend leaving ice flows of snow snot every where. Snow snot? Snow snot is boogers, clumps of snow which has hardened into ice. Usually, these boogers are left on sidewalks which have not been cleaned of snow and left to melt and then refreeze making the sidewalk useless for wheelchair travel until scraped or thawed—the place where snow snow gathers are driveways where the drive way meets the road. These driveways are rarely cleaned by the home owner and are often great spots for snow plows to dump plow full of snow. The homeowner then just bashes through the snow pile leaving two narrow tire troughs and the rest of the snow usually turns to ice till the next thaw.

Usually these small ice flows do not bother me. I usually find away round them one way or another and get to where I am going. This morning I just just dawdled it seemed. Frigid air moved in behind this weekend's storm forcing me to be sure I had adequate clothing. This weekend Dianne repaired my heavy weather jacket from last year—she zipped in the liner which irked me at the time. The reason this irked me is any thing which closes the inside of the jacket makes it difficult for me to pull the jacket over my head. I also dawdled getting the things I needed for work, lunch, crackers, letter to Mac and then pulling the jacket and gloves on, finding my hat and getting situated in the powerchair. This all took more time then I thought but I still thought I would get to the bus stop in time even if I had to flag the bus down while madly cross State. What I had not counted on was the ice. Bridget and came over yesterday and cleaned the driveway and my wheelchair ramp but nor the driveway to the street—no one did but my neighbor who does everything perfectly and I was counting on this and sure enough when I got to Al's driveway it was clean and dry—it took me seconds out of my way but got me out into thw street and on my way to the bustop. As long as I stayed in the street I was OK—I ran into lot of rough ice as I crossed the great church parking lot on m way to State street but nothing unmanageable. I crossed State street with little problem but one I got on the sidewalk I had an issue. No one had cleaned the sidewalks and there was just a narrow path where pedestrians had broken snow the day before. I was fortunate in that the bus stop is right by the driveway and I was ale crash through the ice flow to get me onto the sidewalk but I was not going to go much further from there.

It was weird I got to the bus stop just a few minutes later then I knew the bus usually comes. I was close enough time wise that I should have the bus coming and I know if the drive saw me he would board me—worse case if I was too late still should have seen the vehicle but I saw nothing northing of the bus stop so I was hoping against hope that the bus had not come—I was wrong. I must have been much later then he clock on my power chair indicated. I waited for thirty minutes for the bus—the wait was cold but not to bad, I was bundled but really, I am going to have to be better prepared for Monday mornings from now till Spring..more snow is called for tonight!

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