We have been getting a wonderful amount of winter weather up here. I love a snow day. Even if it means losing money. On a snow day there is nothing to do but relax. All growing up I remember watching the radar and thinking "If we were just a little further north we'd have a snow day today." We are there.
Work was canceled Monday after snow Sunday night. We had quite a nice dusting. It was just enough to be pretty and to can work. Hooray! Frandz kept the stove chugging all day. It was a lovely day of hot cocoa, crocheting but sorry, no blogging.
I went to work Tuesday. Normal day. However I noticed a weather advisory sitting on my manager's desk for Wednesday. Boy were they right.
I went to work Wednesday and it was already snowing. I could see the waves of snow move over the lake and across the mountains. It was breath taking. There is also a new guy at work who is contributing a fair amount of awesome. We chatted and worked together on various restaurant side work. We were in awe at how much everyone was freaking out about the weather. Everyone was already begging to go home and only a few flakes had fallen. I was pretty sure we weren't going to have any diners but I at least wanted my hourly wage. Admittedly, deep down, I was pretty sure it was going to be another snow, er ice day.
And it was! People's families started calling and asking for them to come home. Reports of 75 and 575 being slippery, blue flashing light, crash-tastic skating rinks started pouring in via text and phone. We started getting cut. We were asked who lived the farthest away and who had four wheel drive. We had a party of about 40 coming in and I couldn't believe they didn't cancel it. Folks that live in Jasper and beyond got cut first. Finally I was the one furthest from home and was let go. I honestly think if I had been let go 15 minutes later I would not have made it home. I barely made it as it was.
I got in my car and called to tell Frandz I was on my way. I didn't want to be chatting while driving on ice, call me crazy. I let the car heat up a bit, something I'm bad about, but thank goodness I did. As soon as I was on the road I felt icy patches. I went super slow. Like no more than 11 miles an hour. I was pretty scared. The ice was no joke. Ice started to form on my windshield, with a quickness. Within seconds there was a tiny space about as big as my had for me to peer through. OMG, I thought. What am I going to do!? I glanced at my car temp and it had miraculously reached mid temp already, somehow. I blasted the defrost on high. The thin coat of ice slid off. Phew. I could see again. This would prove to be only a small hurdle of several.
I skidded and slid down the mountain as slowly as I could, gripping the steering wheel with knuckles white, as if that would make a difference. As I neared the exit gate I began to slide. A LOT. I had no traction. Somehow I made it out. I really don't know how. I really thought I would have to park and walk to the gate. There is almost no shoulder and I feared leaving my car parked would mean bad bad things. But I somehow managed to glide from iceless patch to iceless patch, gaining just enough traction to move forward a foot or two at time. The magnificent Colonel, ever reliable, climbed out to the main road. I was hoping it would be better due to higher traffic.
No dice!! It was awful. I was fish-tailing like crazy! The ice had formed so quickly that no one had even had a chance to spread salt or gravel. I quickly called Frandz and told him I would be leaving my truck at the grocery store and that he would need to use the four wheel power of Agnes to retrieve me. I knew once I got off the main highway that the Colonel would not be able to traverse the tiny, curvy back roads to our house.
Much to my surprise, Frandz didn't seem all that keen to come get me. I guess there was no way to know how bad it was from the warmth of our house. It really did happen fast. When I yelled "I'm sliding again! I'm hanging up!" I think that finally convinced him. I slowly slid to a cafe about four miles from our house and parked. About that time Frandz called and told me he was on the road and he wasn't sure even Agnes would make it. He advised me to start walking. We agreed that he would make it as far as Agnes could and then he would start walking too. He would meet me on foot and we'd walk to the truck together. I topped off the anti-freeze in my truck, left a please-don't-tow-me note in the door of the cafe, wrapped my scarf around my head and started my slippery hike.
I should take a moment here to thank my mom for words of wisdom shared with me around the age of 7 that have never left me. We were going to run to the store for milk on a very cold night and I got in the car with a light jacket and slippers, planning on waiting in the car with my brother while she shopped. She insisted I get completely suited up, socks, shoes, gloves, the works. When I protested she said "What if we get in a wreck or the car breaks down? You'll freeze in that!" While nothing happened that night those words have often rung in my head as I've prepared to leave the house. While I knew I only needed a jacket to make it across the parking lot to work I added a thick scarf and gloves before leaving. Thanks mom!! In the same vein of preparedness I also keep a flashlight in my purse, another win.
So, well bundled with flashlight in hand I started my trek. It really wasn't even that dark. I knew I wouldn't have to walk too far and was pretty cheerful and fearless, which surprised me. I'm kinda afraid of the dark, or more accurately afraid of what or who might be in the dark. But I knew that anyone who was out in this weather was just trying to get home, like me. I was pretty sure there would be no bear attack either. Before too long a truck drove past and offered me a ride. I declined at first but then accepted. I squished in with a Santa Claus looking gent and his daughter and took it as a good sign.
That was silly.
Santa apparently had something to prove. After attempting (and failing at) a couple maneuvers, including trying to pull around a stuck car and then sliding into it, I decided I would be better off on foot after all. Right about then, my knight in shining armor came to save me. The second time he (and Agnes) have saved me (and the Colonel) from an icy tragedy. I couldn't have been happier to see him.
Very slowly. More like in micro movements I worked across the ice coated road. Frandz pulled me across the last few feet by my purse's shoulder straps. You could have skated across the street. It was a complete sheet of ice.
After some impressive and careful tire dancing Frandz had us turned around moving back up the hill. With one tire on the road and one in the brush we crept along. This part seemed to last forever, and it was tense. I have a feeling that if I had looked at my watch it was less than minutes. At the top of the ridge closest to our house we saw our neighbors, who happily piled into the bed of the truck, giddy not to have to walk the rest of the way in the dark and sleet.
As we dropped them off they thanked us and said "Don't let this scare you out of living in the sticks. This is the only time it's happened to us in seven years."
Scare us away? I can't wait for the next snow day.
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