TheBanyanTree: The Calm after the Storm

[Margaret R. Kramer]

It’s over.  Winter storm number two (the second winter storm in less than a
week) is over.  It was a powerful storm, stretching from Minnesota through
Kansas and into the south.  As it marched eastward, it took out cities like
Enterprise, AL with its powerful winds.  Duluth, MN experienced 60 mph winds
and mountains of snow.  No matter how much control we have with our own
lives, we are still powerless before great weather systems.

Minnesota has been in a snow draught certainly for this year, but we haven’t
been getting much snow other years either.  Our winter has shifted forward
so that we have been getting most of our snow in February and March rather
than in December and January.  My grandsons have never experience a real
dumping before.

A weather person on the radio the other day reminded me of the 80s.  Gosh,
it snowed and snowed in the 80s.  Our office was always shutting down.  I
worked in downtown Minneapolis then and took the bus to work.  Our office
would shut down and then we would head to the bar across the street and sit
there for a while right by the window and watch it snow.  I didn’t have to
worry about getting home, because I lived just outside of downtown, plus I
was taking the bus.  The freeways weren’t parking lots back then.  People
did stay home from work and didn’t clog up the freeways.  Fast forward to
the 90s and 2000s, and we’re slaves to our jobs and missing a day because of
a 20 inch snowfall is not acceptable.

A caller on the radio reminded me of something else.  When I was a kid
growing up in the 50s and 60s, snowplows didn’t start their work until after
the storm was over.  So, of course, we had days off of school and work,
because we were truly snowed in.  Fast forward to the 2000s, and snowplows
are out on the roads even before it snows, putting down chemicals to help
prevent ice buildup and sand to prevent skidding.  The second it starts
snowing, then the plows come down and the snow is shoved to the side.  They
work on major roads while the storm is coming through, just to keep
everything open.  Heaven forbid that we have to stay home and can’t run to
the store and get some milk.

Finally, our weather predictions are much better.  Predicting the weather is
not perfect, but they,  at least, are in the ball park with these big
storms.  It gives a chance for everyone to prepare, whether it’s going to
the grocery store, getting the car tank full, or canceling appointments.

Even before winter storm number one left Minnesota, the weather people were
predicting another storm.  And they were right, even to the timing of the
storm.  Round one was a small, wet heavy dumping over Thursday night.  We
got about an inch of very heavy snow.  Getting to work was not a problem.

There was a lull, and then we had a bit of freezing drizzle, just enough to
send drivers flying off the roads.  And then it turned to snow.  And it
snowed, and snowed, and snowed.  I left work at 2:00 pm on Thursday.  The
freeway was snow packed, but it wasn’t a parking lot, cars were moving
around 40 mph.  It took about 20 minutes to get home; I live six miles from
work.  That wasn’t bad at all.

Daycares were closing early, school districts were closing early, and some
shopping centers were closing.  Instead of an insane, parking lot rush hour,
it was staggered.  Some people left work really early and others left at
their normal times.  It helped a lot that people were leaving work at
different times, because the plows had time to do their magic.

My car went into the garage and we hunkered down.  Ray had a colonoscopy
scheduled for Friday morning, but we had prudently cancelled that a couple
of days before.  I didn’t want Ray to go through all the prep and then not
be able to get out of the driveway on Friday morning.  That cancelled, I
asked my boss if I could work from home on Friday.  The weather people were
saying the most snow would come during Thursday night and I figured that Ray
and I would spend a good chunk of Friday morning digging out.  What’s the
point of going to work?

I got his permission, so I didn’t have to worry about driving anywhere on
Friday morning.  The snow had tapered off, but we did get a good dumping
during the night.  St Paul’s official total was 13.5”, which seemed about
right.  Poor Axel had to swim through the snow in the backyard, it was up to
his neck, to get his business done.

Ray got the blower fired up and I grabbed a snow shovel and we spent two
hours clearing out the driveway and sidewalks.  We also do our neighbor’s
driveway and sidewalks, because her driveway and our driveway are together,
plus she doesn’t have a blower, and it’s also a neighborly thing to do.  Our
across the street neighbor has a little tractor with a plow and he’s outside
constantly plowing out driveways and sidewalks.

In fact, he’s out there right now before 8:00 am this morning, “plowing” the
inch dusting we got last night.  Some people are fanatic about any snow on
their driveways and walks, and will go into a panic state if they see a
snowflake anywhere near their home.  I think he’s one of those or else he
just enjoys using his little tractor.

Then it was time to get to work.  I got my work laptop all set up and began
checking and answering email.  I guess about 15 people made it in to the
office (our office never officially shuts down).  I talked to a co-worker on
the phone.  Then my team had a conference call meeting.  Our home wireless
network kept coming in and out, so I was losing my internet connection all
the time.  There must have been a lot of interference or something, but it
settled down in the afternoon and I was able to get my work finished.

It was the first time I worked from home.  It was nice sitting in the
kitchen with the radio on, drinking coffee, and looking at the window when I
was bored or thinking about something.  It was interesting to turn on my
brain to work issues while I was at home.  And then turn it off again when I
closed up my laptop.

My son called and told me he took the boys sliding and snowboarding.  They’
ve been waiting all winter for that.  St Paul and Minneapolis had closed the
schools, so there were kids all over the place.  I remember listening to the
radio to hear our school district close our school and then dragging our
sled to the big hill in back of our house and spending a whole day sliding
down and trudging up.

Well, the sun is out in full force this morning.  I hear there’s a lunar
eclipse later this evening.  Even though it’s chilly, the powerful March sun
will begin melting the snow.  This white stuff won’t seep into the frozen
ground, but it will run off into our lakes and rivers.  No new storms are in
sight, but this is March, a month of transition, and anything can happen.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows
cold:  when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.
~Charles Dickens