More Snow


So I had to get out of my driveway to do payroll yesterday. I had a good look out there & it wasn't pretty. I had 15" in the driveway & two blocks down the alley & out to the main road which is clear, apparently. I rummaged around & found some old lace-up hiking boots & blew the cobwebs off the snow shovel & headed out to get it done. There was so much snow I had to shovel it twice! After about a third of it I thought it was too much damned work, so I just got in the van & drove out. I managed to get my work done, some groceries bought & head back home around 4:00. Well, none of the snow had melted at all, it was snowing again already & I couldn't get into the drive. I couldn't back up either so I headed farther down into the abyss figuring I'd just circle the block & DRIVE into the drive instead of backing in like I usually do. NOPE. Two nice men from warmer climes came to stand behind me & wave while I tried to rock the damned van back & forth to get it unstuck & up the slope out of the alley. The van don't rock. Older cars rock nicely. Trucks rock. Whats' with this van??? Eventually, I got it out, up the slight slope & around the block to find the guy I'd done the payroll for standing in my driveway with a snowshovel & a Christmas card. He parked the van in a pile of snow, cleared the drive & backed it into it's original spot. Whew . . . don'tja just love a guy from Nova Scotia???
When I looked out this morning, it's snowing like hell & you can't even tell the driveway was shoveled at all yesterday! I'm not coming out till its GONE!


Now Vancouver is a pretty large city that shuts down when it snows. The main streets get plowed mostly but the suburban streets get nothing unless they're on the bus route. And if the bus route is on a large hill - the bus doesn't run! Simon Fraser University closes down because the bus can't get up or down. I remember working close to UBC one year when we got a huge dump of snow so quickly that the buses just stopped running - too dangerous! I couldn't leave work for two hours because the main road, in front of where I worked, wasn't moving at all. UBC students were hiking miles to find rides. And people were abandoned at bus stops. Cars were picking up as many passengers as they could stuff in & somehow we all got home that day. A couple of other times, it took me over 7 hours to get from Vancouver to New Westminster down the Lougheed Hwy only to find the Patullo Bridge to Surrey had been closed! Lucky for me, I had a friend on the other side!! New Westminster doesn't even have snow removal equipment!! I don't think Surrey has much. So, a big dump of snow is pretty devastating around here. Mind you, it sure is pretty for Christmas & it may keep most of the drunks off the road for a change! And I sure hope it melts away quickly afterwards!!

So, since I'm stuck indoors for the duration, I'm knitting. I have the Carpenter Wallaby almost finished. The body & arms are attached & the yoke is almost finished - I'm a couple of rows from casting on more stitches for the hood. And I've downloaded & printed off the Winter06 ski mask for him as well. I hope to have both of them finished tomorrow. Then I'm onto another pair of Knitty's Spirogyra mitts for myself - I really need them right now!!! Oh, and Arvik is back in the bag - why?? It's too damned cold out there to wear it!! I need to finish GINNY. Or knit MYSELF a wool Wallaby . . . . .
P.S. I opened the Christmas Card after the Guy from Nova Scotia left & it was full of money!! Wooohooo . . . . and an invite for Christmas dinner!!
P.P.S. I just got off the phone with another invite for Christmas dinner!!