Careful What You Wish For

Well in my last post I had mentioned that we were expecting snow here in DC. We did indeed get the snow and ice which has made for an interesting few days now. I came home on Monday evening and was ready for a day or two of snow. I stepped out for a bit on Tuesday morning and saw that the snow had begun in earnest and that ice was beginning to fall. Deciding to stay home was probably a good idea since the roads and walkways soon turned icy. I looked to be getting the snow day I had been writing about. It was nice being inside and being able to watch the snow fall and create those beautiful images you see outside. There's something to be said about fresh snowfall. It's wonderful to look outside and see a pristine blanket of white as far as the eye can see. Soon thereafter it becomes the messy mix of slush, salt and mud that coats cars and pant legs to such a degree that things begin to look disgusting.

I figured that by Wednesday evening the roads would be cleared off enough for me to venture out and head to the office. I headed out early in the morning and found that the roads nearby had not been cleared and I hadn't gotten ten feet before my car began to slip and slide. Now I can expect that to happen given my car is rear wheel drive but I am also competent in my driving ability and comfortable in the fact that a lot of the problem was due to the layer of ice that still coated the ground. I wasn't able to get out. After getting stuck in the snow for a few hours, and thanks to the help of two of my neighbors, I was able to return the car to my parking spot. I came back in after a few hours of digging and shoveling and decided to sit it out for another day.

Trying to do work at home is difficult even at the best of times because you don't always have the documents (or references) you need in order to work effectively. Still, I was able to put in a few hours of work each day and at least do some of my work and studies. By Wednesday evening I was determined that Thursday would be my day to get out and head back to the office. I got up quite early this morning in order to make my way out and do any digging that might be necessary. Doing a bit of it and then climbing into the car I was ready for anything, except the slipping and sliding that occured as soon as I tried to even pull out of my parking space. While the road had been plowed a bit, there was still ice on the ground and although it provided some traction, itw asn't enough to get me out of there.

The problem is that snow and ice melted yesterday in the sun but refroze last night when the temperatures and wind dropped everything below freezing. Before coming in I checked out the surrounding roads and found many of them to be ice covered and frozen as well. I guess the saying that 'when it rains it pours' is true. But instead of rain, we're getting lots of ice. I enjoy snow as much as the next person, but ice is something I could do with a bit less of. So as I sit here stuck for another morning I wait to see if the slush can be moved about a bit so that I can get out. Cabin fever is something that can get old pretty quick!