Friday, November 14, 2014

Early Snow



I rushed off to work thinking OH, how beautiful!  The sun shining through the icy branches and the hills covered with a lovely dusting of snow.  My joy was short-lived when I had been traveling on route 8 going south toward New Berlin and I noticed the cars coming the other way were creeping along with emergency flashers on.  I drove on a little way and had almost reached the Chobani factory when I saw traffic stopped and several rescue vehicles.  Two cars had apparently collided and were smashed to half their size.  I tapped my brakes to stop and guess what.  No stopping.  I kept sliding and sliding and was fast approaching the back of the vehicle in front of me when I had no choice but to steer off the road to avoid it.  Luckily there was no culvert to dive into at that spot and a lovely mile marker pole stopped me.  I put it in reverse and backed out onto the road which was a solid sheet of invisible ice.  Not a bit of silt or salt or grit had been spread on it.  We were eventually allowed to pass and I had to make a quick decision to either go miles down route 8 and cut over on 23 to Norwich, far out of my way, or risk going over the hills and dales to school the way I usually go.  I took a chance only to find a big truck stuck on Columbus Hill, not able to go forward or backward.  It took ten minutes for him to inch upward off the hill and pull over to let me and the one car behind me pass by.  I found out later that was my co-worker, Fawn, behind me, equally shook up over finding herself on impassable roads.  Low and behold when I creeped down the mountain into Sherburne the temps were high enough to melt the ice and route 12 was fine.  I pulled into the school parking lot and jumped out to check the front of my new-old Honda van.  The metal pole had not done much damage and I recalled the two totaled cars on route 8 with the policeman picking up a back pack out of one of them.  I wondered if it was a student and a fatality since I didn't see the ambulance speeding away.  Still don't know.  I asked Fawn how she made out on those awful roads and she said I was right behind you!  We got through our day and now it's Friday night.  I'm still chasing Spikey around the barn.  Got him in a dog pen now until I can fashion a secure space for him.  He's so cute but such a runt.  Maybe I can trade him with somebody for a full sized buck my girls might want.  The angora does, smaller than my Nubians, think Spikey is adorable, but that's a line I don't want to cross.   I'm in from chores at nine and pretty well knackered.  There is a mountain of dishes in the sink I should get up and wash before nighty-night.  Thing is I want nighty-night even more than a clean sink.  Wouldn't it be nice if the Irish faeries would come in the wee hours to surprise me?  Not a chance.

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