I Suppose It Had To Happen
WELL, WE CERTAINLY GOT OUR BUTTS KICKED LAST NIGHT. We got pummeled by our first real winter snowfall of the season. There was another storm back in mid-January, but we were down in Texas for that one.
We were heading home from church yesterday when this thing blew through. It was truly nasty driving on the city streets, and on the Interstate it turned into a 50 car pileup. We got home safely, even though Dawn’s windshield wipers decided that it was a good time to commit suicide.
By the time the storm had moved on to the East we were looking at a pretty snowy world. Parts of Terre Haute got 4.5 inches of the stuff. We got about 2 – 3 inches topped off with a nice glaze of freezing rain. Such fun.
I know that such figures would be looked upon as beach weather in Buffalo, New York or Boston this time of year, but here in Terre Haute on the Wabash, it can really screw things up, over, sideways and down.
This morning the main streets are clear of snow and just wet. The side streets are still a mess and will stay that way until warmer weather comes along later in the week. Our next door neighbor was a happy guy yesterday because he got to play with his snow blower. He cleared off his driveway and then did ours as well. I’ll have to thank him – if he can hear me over the incessant barking of his dog who has decided that I am Satan and am just waiting for the proper moment to murder them all.
The real trouble around here comes along on Interstate 70 that cuts right through town. In good weather it is one nasty piece of highway. Driving in your car on I-70 puts you in direct competition with 37,000 Semi Drivers stoked on speed so they can go nonstop from Denver to the East Coast, 45,000 drug mules, also so high that they can get HBO on their eyeballs, and several thousand State Police, Sheriff’s Deputies, and local Police – all looking to nab one of the Bad Boys before they leave their jurisdictions. There are times that it looks like they are filming a remake of the Blues Brothers out there on the Interstate. The only thing missing is the Country-Western Band in the Winnebago. I try to avoid that road, except that it means I have to drive farther to get to a Cracker Barrel.
I know that I can’t avoid winter. It comes with the territory. Of course, it also provides me the opportunity to grumble and growl about it. I’m going to grumble and growl anyway and if there is snow on the ground it doesn’t look so odd when I’m doing it. Without the snow I would be putting myself at risk for a “Held for observation,” weekend.
We got buttkicked yesterday and I’m in good grumbling form. I’ve been practicing. I’m not going to have much time to get it out of my system because; according to the Channel Two Weather Bunny (Who, incidentally, got stuck for 5 hours on the Interstate yesterday.) we are going to have temperatures into the 60s by the weekend. That should take care of any lingering ice and snow – except for the mountains of snow piled up in the Kroger parking lot. Those will be there until Labor Day.
Now I’m going to put on my winter coat, gloves, scarf, and SF Giants cap and go outside to scrape the remaining ice off of the cars.
I am Man. It’s my duty.
Down the Hall on Your Left 
Ah, yes…….I-70 and weather -v- semis. For ten years I drove to my employment, from Terre Hut to Indianapole. Usually five days a week, as the Indiana State Claims Manager for the all-to-well-known American International (Insurance) Group (AIG). ‘Course with insurance companies, if there is a day they can close down, even their Agents, they will take advantage of it. Sorta like the Government. So, I had a few days per year I didn’t have to drive it, plus vacation time. Anyway, I could tell many stories of experiences with tractor/trailer jobies. As a whole, though, most of the experiences were good. If someone was hung up or broken down in their vehicles, it was the truck driver that pulled over to see if they could help. Especially, if there was an accident. They were usually the first ones on-site. I was run off the road or had to swerve to stay on the road a few times, because the driver would pass and then pull back into the right lane too soon. That was scary. I took names/numbers and really wanted to kick-ass. But, I didn’t turn them in….nor did I try to stop them to KA! I saw a lot of bad roads, and good ones; snow, ice, wind, and good weather over those ten years. I try to remember the good trips, rather than the bad ones. Good story, John. Thanks. Like a lot of your articles, it brought back memories. Some good. Some not so good.
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I wrote this after that last winter storm. I’ve had some similar experiences with truckers.
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