Let it Snow!

Well, Pocatello got its first big snow. The weather forecast said something like: "Snow showers likely. Chance of precip, 90%. Up to an inch of snow expected." I think there was a typo. That should have been "Up to a foot of snow expected." Actually, I think we've gotten more than a foot. There was at least 8 inches when I shoveled my driveway (might have been 10). And at least six more inches have fallen since. So between 14 and 16 inches. Ah, it's beautiful.

So, going on the "up to an inch" report, I went to taiji class in Idaho Falls today. Roads weren't too bad until I got past Fort Hall. Then it was clear that (a)lots of snow had fallen and (b)the plows weren't out yet. But I made it. A bit late, but Don understood. Going back, the roads were much better...up until Blackfoot. The plows had made everything nice and safe except for a few places where the wind had piled things up a bit. After Blackfoot, it looked like a plow had been through there, but a long, long time ago. Not fun. And the closer I got to Pocatello, the worse it got.

So after I got home, I rested a while and decided I might as well shovel the driveway. Snow was still coming down, but I'm glad I made a start today. 8 inches and 6 inches aren't too bad to deal with. 14 all at once would have been a right pain. At any rate, I'm actually in better snow-shoveling shape this year than last year. Why? My quadriceps. They've gotten a lot stronger this year, from taiji practice. Which means my legs did nearly all of the work. My back is not sore (in past years, it has been after shoveling snow). My arms are slightly sore. My legs are not sore. *grins* I am quite pleased.

After shoveling, I came inside and decided I smelled like a yak, so I went to take a shower. Naturally my mom called just as I was getting ready to get in. She wanted me to help decorate the choir Christmas tree at church. I told her I would call her back after the shower. The snow kept most of the choir away (or at least gave them a convenient excuse for not coming), so I did go and help. Stopped at Fred Meyer on the way back and bought a bunch of provisions.

After playing on the computer a while, I realized I was hungry. Starving, in fact. Also, my eyes were doing strange things (I think this was due to fatigue; if it doesn't repeat, I'll assume that was the case). So I headed out to the car, put it in gear, drove forward...and got stuck right where the sidewalk meets the street. I called my mom to tell her I was stuck and that I would need a ride. Oh, yeah, forgot to mention that the leftover turkey is in Grandma's fridge. That's why I was heading over there. Anyway, Mom said she'd come over. Meanwhile, I got out the shovel, did the ol' bump and grind (alternating between drive and reverse, flooring it; turning the wheels occasionally), and got out and dug several times. Much to my surprise, I actually managed to extricate Jean Luc (my car). Called Mom and told her the good news...only she wasn't happy because she was already halfway there. Anyway, I then proceeded to my grandma's house. She lives on a hill. There's one really hasty hill on the way there. I barely made it up. *grins* It was fun. See, I had to floor it, and the snow shifted and took my tires with it, so I was constantly turning the steering wheel to get it going somewhat straight (or to point it another way if it got stuck). But I arrived, ate turkey, and managed not to get stuck in Grandma's driveway, so here I am.

Now, it may sound like I'm complaining about the snow. I'm not. I loved every minute of it, being stuck and all. I enjoyed the drive to IF through the snow. I enjoyed digging out the driveway. I enjoyed extricating my own car from being stuck (in previous years, someone has always had to help extricate it). So I had quite an enjoyable, if far too interesting and fatiguing, day. Oh, and if parts of this are completely incoherent, bear in mind that before I left for Grandma's, I was so tired that it took effort for me to figure out that I was tired. Anyway, I think I might actually go brush my teeth and go to bed now. I'm exhausted. But pleased. (Note: my mom was rather annoyed with my exuberance at Grandma's house, but I get that way when I'm tired; she really didn't like it when I saw that the corn was boiling and loudly cheered, "It's boiling!") Ummm... I think I'm getting less coherent (if that's possible), so I suppose I'll stop now.