Thursday, November 20, 2014

Ice and More Ice

Icicles hang in front of my kitchen window.  Our entire yard is covered with a blanket of snow.  Late falling leaves are scattered across the white landscape.  More leaves lie beneath the snow waiting to be raked.

Nobody was prepared for this storm, especially our highway district.  What was predicted to be a few inches turned out to be 7 ½ inches, a November record for us.  The thermometer has not been above freezing in over a week.  Our nightly lows have been in the single digits.  I know that many places in this country get much harsher weather.  But this is Boise, the “banana belt” of Idaho.  This is unusual for us.  Our highway district didn’t get their plows out on the main roads soon enough and they quickly became rutted and icy.  The unplowed side roads are like skating rinks.  I drive down the road to our house with my feet off both gas and brakes using just the steering wheel to try to keep my sliding van on the road.  I hope that nobody is coming in the opposite direction.

We now have an inversion.  Cold, dirty air is trapped in the valley while nearby mountains enjoy warmer temperatures and sunshine.  I venture out for appointments and scheduled meetings or events.  Otherwise I stay home.  I feel a bit trapped.  I look outside and see my little Honda buried in snow.  The landscape is gray and white, totally colorless.  I am catching up on computer and paperwork but I am restless.  The dog is bored.  I would like to say that I am tired of winter but unfortunately it’s not even here yet.  Winter isn't supposed to begin for a month!  Spring is a very, very long time away.

11/20/2014











 





 


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