Beautiful, Beautiful Snow

Okay, it may be beautiful but occasionally it REALLY stinks! I was on the phone with my parents today and my mom asked if I had a shovel to keep in my car. I laughed at her, and said no. She had never had a shovel in her car going as far back as I can remember. Well, when I went outside to make sure my car would start and to clear it off so going in to work tomorrow morning would be easier, I realized the difference between her and I having shovels. She has the luxury of parking in a garage. I, on the other hand, park on a city street and have come to realize how merciless the snow plow drivers can be.

I was parked at the front of the row of cars, and the plow(s) had left me a pile of snow stretching about 10 feet in front of my car in which there was NO way I was going to be able to drive over in my little Honda. None of the buildings in my complex have shovels by the front doors seeing as how a snow removal service takes care of our sidewalks and door steps. I used the next best thing to a shovel... a dust pan.

Within about two minutes of "shoveling" I was able to open the driver door and start my car. It started... whoo hooo! I began shoveling around the side, trying to get the snow out from around the tires, and then went to work on the front. After probably 10 minutes I stood up, realizing I had barely exposed the front bumper, and looked longingly into the church parking lot where a machine was removing their snow. I went back at my shoveling hoping one of the nice church workers would see me and take pity, but alas, they did not. I did turn around though to a man approaching me with a shovel... I WAS SAVED! He not only shoveled a beautiful pathway for me to drive onto the plowed road, but also shoveled around and under my car so it was fully exposed. I know there's a "Minnesota Nice" stereotype... but it turns out Wisconsinites are pretty nice too.

As I thanked the man and watched him walk away, I realized he had been driving by and had pulled over to help me. What a nice guy.

Now's the tricky part. I was able to get my car out, but I don't need to drive it tonight. Overnight we're supposed to be getting 20 to 30 mph winds, as well as a -20 degree windchill. My boss called me to make sure I knew to check for cancellations in the morning, but if schools aren't cancelled and I do have to work, I sure hope those wind gusts are gentle to the snow surrounding my vehicle.

I love snow.