THE SNOW BELT

Just north of us is Buffalo NY.. I made mention that I'd heard that they got 2' of snow yesterday, but last night I heard they'd had a total of 6 feet yesterday. Now, we live just below the SNOW BELT.. Buffalo is about 4 hours away from us.
Does that sound like someone from Pennsylvania? We measure distances in hours.. hehehe
Anyway, we experience something called the Snow Belt which is an invisible line where weather stops and starts. No, really.. you can't imagine it unless you have seen it first hand as we do.
I imagine it as more like the isobars you see on a weather map.. each section having a certain difference from the one above and below. There is a place on Rt 8 just a few miles north of us that one of these invisible lines occurs. It's not once in a while, but all the time. In the summer, you can see a line of demarcation in front of the 7-11 that crosses Rt 8..it will be raining on one side and dry as toast on the other. In the winter, it's similar with snow on one side and dry on the other.
I guess we can expect a bit of snow this month.. I'm trying to get myself used to the idea. I had to wear a jacket yesterday because it was so chilly. How does one prepare for winter? I have good tires on my car. I have front wheel drive like everyone else seems to have, but I grew up with rear wheel drive and tend to try to control my car in that direction.. ie.. if you go into a spin, turn in the direction of the spin.. it doesn't work on front wheel drive. I have learned a lot from Wendell who has been a truck driver for umpteen years. We talk about a second gear night.. gearing down when it's snowy to have more control over the car. I have to laugh at some people who drive automatic transmission vehicles who claim they don't have 2nd gear in their cars...duh. I always ask them what the #2 is on their gear shift lever?? Then I cringe when they tell me they just take their car out of gear into neutral and coast with their foot on the brakes !!! AAACCKK!!! So they go sledding out of control.. Yike ! Armco hill is steep and not a place to be coasting out of control.
Wendell's motto is "GEAR DOWN WHEN THE SNOW IS ON THE GROUND". Especially good advice for hills.. Armco Hill in the winter. It works both ways..also staying in a lower gear going uphill on the snowy roads.
Of course it goes without saying that winter is not the time for cruise control.. unless you have a death wish.

I learned to drive in the winter. I took Driver Education in high school - one that was built on an old airstrip. I enjoyed learning how to control the car on the ice.. I was driving a Studebaker Lark for my class. One of the best parts of the class was when the instructor took us out on a paved section of the airstrip and had us accelerate to 40mph and then step on the brakes.. Of course we skidded , but had to control the skid by steering- our passing grade depended on it.
I didn't mind the skidding then, but now I cringe.. that front wheel drive is difficult for me to conquer. I'm a creature of habit.
Jane could tell some exciting stories about her DriverEd class..... eh, Jane? I think her instructors hair went from black to pure white during her class time.. hehehe !!!!

If winter is early, I can only pray that spring will be early too. How I love spring !!! Gotta go find my mittens now.. Have a great day..... Hey! Wendell.. where did we put the sleds??? woo hoo!! Winter is coming quickly. More stories of winter later..