Much to my dismay, and as I'd feared, I was told to come into work yesterday morning. I had to clean off my car- the snow wasn't much, and it was powdery at that point.. so a relatively easy task. All the schools in the county were closed bracing for this storm. That had to be the best decision they ever made. The Emergency Weather Alerts from NOAA said to not go out unless absolutely necessary, to stay off the roads.
I've been getting these alerts one after the other for 3 days.
So I got out on the backroad here and wished I'd told the hospital I wouldn't be coming in. There was quite a bit of snow on our road, the township hadn't made it here yet. We are the last road to be plowed in the winter. We know that, as we once asked about it and the officials said 'when your road is plowed, the crew has made one cycle-you are the last'. Nice to know where we stand. There was about 3" of snow on the road and hard to travel through, but do-able.. after all, the other roads should be clearer.. if I could just make it to Rt 8.. the 4 lane, it would be okay. Not so, each connecting highway was worse than the last. Rt 8 was a disaster. It appeared as if no plows had been through at all. Snow was coming down.. not the fluffy stuff, but the grainy fine precipitation that looked like salt.
The average speed on the 50mph highway was 30. That was in the good spots. Most of the way, I think I was in 2nd gear and going about 20. It took an hour to get to Butler- 11 miles. Just outside Butler, before getting to the Pullman Viaduct (or Picklegate Crossing), there was a tie up stretching about a mile. Traffic was creeping along at less than a snail's pace. I assumed an accident, but when I got up to the light, I realized that it was just so icy, no one could move any faster. Driving was certainly treacherous.
On the way in, I saw tracks all over the highway where cars had gone out of control. Ominous.
I also saw a 4wd go over a barrier and stop just short of a hillside. He backed up and went back the direction he'd come. 4wd vehicles aren't much use on ice. It occurs to me that I should have done what the guy in the 4wd did, and turn around and go home.. but I didn't.. I pressed on.
Brady Street hill wasn't bad at all.. dry as toast. It would be the only street that was properly attended.
I was shaken when I got there, and then had to locate a parking spot.. easier said than done. I had to use the garage. If there were to be an ice storm, I couldn't deal with a glaze over my car in the hours I would spend at work. I ended up in the deepest spot in the parking garage.. I'd never been at that lowest level. I made a mental note to get out of there at 3:30 if they decided I couldn't go home then.
That's just what happened. When I got to work, I was bummed because they had called me in so that they could send the other secretary home on call for the next 4 hours. I would assume they just didn't take the warnings seriously enough.. I'd bearly made it in, and they were sending her home . Less than an hour later, they would call this secretary back to work on another unit whose secretary had enough sense to stay home.
However, they put the on call secretary's life on the line again.
At 3pm, I asked if there was an evening secretary.. "oh, yes" I was told.. and I was ready to go home. "oh, you will be staying" they told me.. "we are sending that secretary to another unit".. Bummed again. I didn't want to stay and risk more disaster at 7:30pm.
So I took my only break of the shift at 20 minutes and moved my car out of the pit in the parking garage. Lots of spaces now.. the daylight shift had gone home and the call offs were numerous.
I decided at that point that I would never do this again. No more driving on unsafe roads.. no more risking my life for a job. It's just not worth it.
I'll be paid for my 8 hours, but I left 30 minutes early.. again it took an hour to get home. There was little traffic.
I tend to pray a lot when I am faced with icy roads that I have to be on. I pray that God will take the wheel and drive because I can't. My nerves had been frayed by the morning drive.. but I was calmer after praying .
Again I would be traveling at 30 mph most of the way home. Rt 8 looked like a cowpath. I couldn't go any faster.. I could feel the car 'give' under the icy highway and I had to keep control.
By the time I got home, I think I should have been given a purple heart for my bravery. Or perhaps a straight jacket for my insanity. I still have a lot of mixed emotions over yesterday..
I'm not gainfully employed today.. I slept well.
Our precious neighbor Nick had been at our house with his plow. He'd cleared a path for us. And Mandy and John had been out shoveling a path from the house to the parking area. I thank the Lord for them all. I was able to get to the house without fighting the 4" of snow we'd gotten. It was sleet coming down right then.. it stung my face as it came down. Sort of like getting shot with pellets.. nasty.
So there is about 6" total snow out in the yard.. and this morning it hasn't started again yet, but there is a shiny glaze on the porch and everywhere I look....... ice. Overnight it had frozen solid.. Looks like meringue.
The Emergency Weather alerts say to stay off the roads this morning due to ice conditions.
Obediently, I'll comply.
I spoke to Wendy and Cory last night- they will be getting 18-24 inches of snow today. Cory figures he won't be in school for the rest of the week, and there is no school next week.
I think I'll get a coffee refill..
Stay put, stay warm.. pray for those who have to be out today..
