81

This recent snow storm has been quite an inconvenience for me. Living on a hill means being extra careful in how I walk down it (more dangerous and difficult than walking up). I don’t want to make any false trips down to the office; it’s a ten-minute round trip in this kind of weather and slippery, besides.

I decided not to go over and pick up the newspapers at press run time last night and might not do it tonight. There might be no parking in the high school’s faculty lot next to the paper and my car’s brakes act oddly when stopping on snow. I can do it ok, but I’d rather not be going downhill (which I have to; we’re at the top of one).

I could walk over; it’s not that far. But not all the sidewalks are cleared and I don’t want to be plodding along in the road keeping an eye out for cars.

Route 81 runs north and south of the city just to the east of us. It was closed off yesterday and closed off again today. During today’s shutdown, hundreds (I heard thousands) of cars and trucks were stuck. Some people were trapped there for 17-20 hours and, as I write this at 1:00 on Friday morning, many may still be there. Pretty bad way to spend the better part of a 24-hour period.

So I’m here, fairly comfy in my little universe with the worst-case event being nothing more than how I might get over to the newspaper a few blocks away. Even that is optional. There’s not much to complain about in my snowy winter life; I could be stuck on 81. It’s silly to complain about such small things.