Utahns are pretty cavalier about the weather. Some of us wear shorts all winter, many of us never put on a coat, even when we shovel snow. We can afford this blase attitude because the temperature rarely dips into the teens, let alone the sub-zero temperatures our much heartier friends in the midwest endure for days on end in the wintertime. Here, when the Greatest Snow on Earth favors us with its light, powdery presence, we just admire it from the highway-speed comfort of our SUV's. We scoop it into high piles with our 4-wheelers, giddy at the chance to use the snowplow attachment to careen around the neighborhood Then we blaze past the drifts to wherever we would be going if it were 80 degrees and sunny. Snow does not intimidate us in Utah.
If anything, our attitudes have become more defiant since the "Storm of the Century" two years ago. Media outlets were predicting high winds and heavy snowfall, urging everyone to stay home. Everything in the state was cancelled that night, and...the weather was fine. Now, we don't believe any forecast. I drove Scott and Ari to the airport during the huge windstorm last year, the one where our power was out for four days and the golf course down the street lost over 400 trees. I remember commenting as I struggled to keep the tires on the freeway pavement, "Geez, what's the deal with all the overturned semis?!" Utahns must have special blinders that make us incapable of seeing and believing bad weather.
That's why, driving Golda to ballet in a blizzard yesterday, I remarked, "Look at this charming snowfall. It's so cozy!" Two hours later, driving to pick up Golda and drop off Ari, her friend and Xanthe, I was still thoroughly enjoying our beautiful winter storm. "It's so pretty out, girls! Ooh, car off the road. Must be an out-of-stater. Have I told you how people in Indiana don't know how to drive in the snow? Yep. One inch and everyone is driving into a ditch. OK, hold on, I'm sliding and I'm going to run this stop sign. Ari, did you bring your ballet shoes?"
Well, the storm was a tiny bit worse than I thought. Golda in her leotard, Ptolemy in his pajamas and me in my painting clothes had to wait at the library for the girls' ballet classes to end because we couldn't make it back up the hill until the snowplows had been out. While Golda did homework online, I read to Ptolemy and fielded texts from Marlene and Jennie, offering to rescue us if we were stuck anywhere. Thanks! But by the time ballet ended, the plows had been up Crestwood Road and we were able to make it up the hill, slipping and sliding all the way. Our neighbor, Jim, had plowed our cul-de-sac from the top right to and including our driveway, so we drove right home and into the garage. The neighborliness here might be another contributor to our stubbornness. We know we will bail each other out, whether it's weather or whatever. No need to stop, assess or slow down!
That's why it was almost a miracle when school was actually cancelled this morning! The busses couldn't get around, so they called it off. This almost never happens. I remember coming home from school in an East wind in second grade when I literally had to hold onto a fence to keep from being blown away. Needless to say, everyone was overjoyed at the prospect of being snowed in! We were so happy, I immediately set out for Downeast to buy some cheap bedding for my new project, while Ruby went to babysit for a friend while she drove into Salt Lake. Busses may not be able to navigate the snowy roads, but that wouldn't stop regular civilians.
My jaunting around in the blizzard came to a halt when my car almost came to a halt on the way home from Yogo Togo. (What, a fro-yo craving isn't an emergency?) The snowfall had escalated and the plows had slowed. I had to use every bit of my extensive winter-condition driving skills to coax my car up the steep bend by Crestwood Farms, where someone always takes out the pasture fence when it snows. We made it past all the cars lodged in snowdrifts, safe and sound into the garage. I was so relieved, I think I just might act like a Hoosier and stay home. It's better than acting like a Hoosier and driving off the road. For today, I will obey Mother Nature when she says it would be foolish to go out. This time, I think she's right.
*Disclaimer: This was Southern Indiana. I'm sure you northerners are snow pros. :)
If anything, our attitudes have become more defiant since the "Storm of the Century" two years ago. Media outlets were predicting high winds and heavy snowfall, urging everyone to stay home. Everything in the state was cancelled that night, and...the weather was fine. Now, we don't believe any forecast. I drove Scott and Ari to the airport during the huge windstorm last year, the one where our power was out for four days and the golf course down the street lost over 400 trees. I remember commenting as I struggled to keep the tires on the freeway pavement, "Geez, what's the deal with all the overturned semis?!" Utahns must have special blinders that make us incapable of seeing and believing bad weather.
That's why, driving Golda to ballet in a blizzard yesterday, I remarked, "Look at this charming snowfall. It's so cozy!" Two hours later, driving to pick up Golda and drop off Ari, her friend and Xanthe, I was still thoroughly enjoying our beautiful winter storm. "It's so pretty out, girls! Ooh, car off the road. Must be an out-of-stater. Have I told you how people in Indiana don't know how to drive in the snow? Yep. One inch and everyone is driving into a ditch. OK, hold on, I'm sliding and I'm going to run this stop sign. Ari, did you bring your ballet shoes?"
Well, the storm was a tiny bit worse than I thought. Golda in her leotard, Ptolemy in his pajamas and me in my painting clothes had to wait at the library for the girls' ballet classes to end because we couldn't make it back up the hill until the snowplows had been out. While Golda did homework online, I read to Ptolemy and fielded texts from Marlene and Jennie, offering to rescue us if we were stuck anywhere. Thanks! But by the time ballet ended, the plows had been up Crestwood Road and we were able to make it up the hill, slipping and sliding all the way. Our neighbor, Jim, had plowed our cul-de-sac from the top right to and including our driveway, so we drove right home and into the garage. The neighborliness here might be another contributor to our stubbornness. We know we will bail each other out, whether it's weather or whatever. No need to stop, assess or slow down!
That's why it was almost a miracle when school was actually cancelled this morning! The busses couldn't get around, so they called it off. This almost never happens. I remember coming home from school in an East wind in second grade when I literally had to hold onto a fence to keep from being blown away. Needless to say, everyone was overjoyed at the prospect of being snowed in! We were so happy, I immediately set out for Downeast to buy some cheap bedding for my new project, while Ruby went to babysit for a friend while she drove into Salt Lake. Busses may not be able to navigate the snowy roads, but that wouldn't stop regular civilians.
My jaunting around in the blizzard came to a halt when my car almost came to a halt on the way home from Yogo Togo. (What, a fro-yo craving isn't an emergency?) The snowfall had escalated and the plows had slowed. I had to use every bit of my extensive winter-condition driving skills to coax my car up the steep bend by Crestwood Farms, where someone always takes out the pasture fence when it snows. We made it past all the cars lodged in snowdrifts, safe and sound into the garage. I was so relieved, I think I just might act like a Hoosier and stay home. It's better than acting like a Hoosier and driving off the road. For today, I will obey Mother Nature when she says it would be foolish to go out. This time, I think she's right.
*Disclaimer: This was Southern Indiana. I'm sure you northerners are snow pros. :)
6 comments:
Love this post when I heard school was canceled I kept coming up with field trips we could take to salt lake. We haven't ever been to the aquarium or the planaterium so that sounded fun. but we settled on staying home with a crockpot full of chicken and sledding in the backyard and it has been so fun.
Brittany is very jealous! I had told her I would take her for froyo if she finished all her term-end projects which she, of course did. Then I discovered that after my urging to take my four wheel drive to work William had taken the keys to his as well. We have been trapped here all day! Oh well, just don't ask how many kinds of cookies I
made!
It was crazy alright! In all of my time here, I've never seen the police close Oak Hills Drive. Yesterday... it was closed. So fun, but also so scary!
What a storm! Glad you are safe:)
You could have hung out with me at Arctic Circle on Thursday night. (The restaurant, not the snowy region ... wait ... never mind.) I felt it was safer for me to drive Kyle to work than let him do so alone, but after the bobsled track that was Crestwood, I chose to wait it out, too. Although, you're braver than I. Kyle's 6 p.m. work shift was non-negotiable, and I had to get him there. But I'd made the call earlier to not take Emma to dance when I couldn't get out of our street. It was fun sliding with Kyle!
Love your post, sounds like you are having one of the old-fashioned winters! Brings back memories of when you were all little (You, Sarah, Trajan and Joshua) and when I was little, and had snow storms like this, could walk on the snow that was up to the mailboxes! Fun, sorry to tell you we are suffering with 82 degree beautiful sunshine. Still even in cold snowstorms, Utahns weather their storms differently than the rest of the country! and make it a fun experience! Utahns are crazy in the snow! I am sure there were some with flip-flops! Read Foxworthy's description on FB of "You know you are in Utah if..." True! xo Tricia..Enjoy the snow, Alex and Lincoln said they wish they were there!
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