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It snowed off and on all day yesterday. There was not a lot of accumulation but the roads were pretty slick on the ride home from school. There was some whispering among teachers that we might have a "holiday". I didn't want to get my hopes up, but about 5:30 p.m. several texts came across my phone announcing the closure of schools for not just one, but two days! Yippee!
This morning I decided to make the 5 km walk to the mall, my typical "day off" activity, to enjoy the beauty of the snow, to get some fresh air, and to meet a new Canadian friend for coffee. The sun had come out and melted most of the snow on the street and sidewalks, so instead of a beautiful white walk, it was a muddy brown walk dodging puddles and cars whizzing down the road, both spraying brown slop on my pants. But I did see many things that made me curious....
First I saw an ambulance rattling down the snow less road. Instead of running on tires it ran on four triangular shaped treads similar to those of a tank. I saw a dump truck filled with pebbles. A man was standing in the bed of the truck throwing pebbles out onto the sidewalk. (Remember, the snow had already melted.) I had to stop mid-stride to avoid being attacked by pebbles. Then, I saw 25 city workers dressed in orange jump suits shoveling the sidewalk of an empty lot with wood bladed shovels. Next, I saw a large water truck, the type used to spray water on dirt roads at construction sites, spraying water on the muddy, wet streets. I'm trying to guess if the intent was to use water to melt the snow or use water to wash the streets. As far as I could tell, the only thing happening was the flooding of the storm drains with the addition of excess water. Finally, I saw a van rattling down the street at about 40 mph in full chains. I guess it's just too muddy to get out and take those chains off.
As snow days go, we probably didn't need one and we definitely don't need two. But I'm not complaining. I made a new friend and finished a great book. I wonder what fun tomorrow will bring.
This morning I decided to make the 5 km walk to the mall, my typical "day off" activity, to enjoy the beauty of the snow, to get some fresh air, and to meet a new Canadian friend for coffee. The sun had come out and melted most of the snow on the street and sidewalks, so instead of a beautiful white walk, it was a muddy brown walk dodging puddles and cars whizzing down the road, both spraying brown slop on my pants. But I did see many things that made me curious....
First I saw an ambulance rattling down the snow less road. Instead of running on tires it ran on four triangular shaped treads similar to those of a tank. I saw a dump truck filled with pebbles. A man was standing in the bed of the truck throwing pebbles out onto the sidewalk. (Remember, the snow had already melted.) I had to stop mid-stride to avoid being attacked by pebbles. Then, I saw 25 city workers dressed in orange jump suits shoveling the sidewalk of an empty lot with wood bladed shovels. Next, I saw a large water truck, the type used to spray water on dirt roads at construction sites, spraying water on the muddy, wet streets. I'm trying to guess if the intent was to use water to melt the snow or use water to wash the streets. As far as I could tell, the only thing happening was the flooding of the storm drains with the addition of excess water. Finally, I saw a van rattling down the street at about 40 mph in full chains. I guess it's just too muddy to get out and take those chains off.
As snow days go, we probably didn't need one and we definitely don't need two. But I'm not complaining. I made a new friend and finished a great book. I wonder what fun tomorrow will bring.
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