It was 5 MPH. Stop and go traffic. Bumper to bumper. Not the funniest thing in a manual transmission car.
It snowed in Utah yesterday. And the snow screwed up the commute. My commute takes 30 minutes on a typical day. Yesterday it was almost double that. I drive a 1994 Toyota Corolla named Marcus Aurelius. It’s (he’s?) front wheel drive, but very light. And I have summer tires.
I’m a good driver. But, it was still a harrowing commute.
But, I was thankful for it.
When I got home from work, my driveway was buried under 6″ of the white stuff. My kids used to ask why we didn’t buy a snow blower.
I don’t need a snow blower. I have a lots of shovels. . .and plenty of kids.
I still have the shovels, but the kids are mostly gone now. Off to college, or missions, or just living their own lives. My lovely wife was gone. I was the only one home. So, I got one of the shovels and and I shoveled my 50 foot long driveway.
And I was thankful for it.
And then, I shoveled the driveway of the widow that lives across the street.
And I was thankful for it.
And then, I shoveled the 16 steps that lead up to my front door.
And I was thankful for it.
A neighbor uses his four wheeler with a blade to plow the sidewalk, so I was spared that chore.
And, of course I was thankful for that, too.
Utah is a desert. Which is kind of strange for a state that relies on skiing to bring in tourism. We get snow in the winter, but not a lot of rain in the summer.
Utahans have the same response any time someone mentions precipitation:
Well, we can certainly use the moisture.
I think it might even be a law that we are supposed to appreciate any precipitation.
So, as nerve wracking as today’s commute was I’m thankful for it. And hope we get a bunch more of them.
We can certainly use the moisture.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here
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