After the Blizzard

The sun is shining, snow is piled all around, it seems there’s not much to this blizzard after all. At least, not from our sheltered perspective in a warm building with good heating and a well stocked pantry. It was windy, it was snowy, and it is still very cold, but as a weather novelty, it was ok. I guess because we didn’t have to go anywhere it was a lot easier to deal with, but most folks still had to get to work the day after and transport was a bit of a nightmare.

We thought watching the snow ploughs was fun, but if it’s a regular part of your winter to get stuck behind them on the way out, maybe it’s not so much. And after a few days the noise of metal scoops scraping along roadways starts to become a little irritating. I never saw any snowshoes like tennis racquets, memories of them must be from a childhood comic book I suppose, but maybe they’re just not de rigueur streetwear in the city. I was amazed to see pedestrians walking on the roadway with only a few metres visibility because footpaths were ankle deep in snow. I thought that was a bit risky. Those ploughs aren’t moving slowly and they’re pushing up huge waves of snow in front of themselves. And cars are swerving all about the road as it changes from snow to black ice.

Melbournites think bull bars on 4WDs are an issue – you oughtta see a large American utility with a snow plough fitted to the front of it out and about in ordinary traffic. It seems the landscape gardeners have an alternative occupation for when the weather prevents landscaping. In fact, there are lots of small plough operators that do car parks and side streets. It seems there is no government department dedicated to snow removal all over, but the Sanitation Department (in New York at least) does the main and secondary roads and residents are responsible for clearing the footpaths outside their homes. Even 70+ year old grannies can be fined for not digging out within four hours of the end of a storm. That’s mean!

This is overly fascinating for those of us raised in the temperate climate of the Southern Hemisphere’s warm spots, but it turns out snow has a tendency to fill up spaces and cover things up. Road markings and parking bays disappear (now I know why there are so many cases of bad driving skills with poor lane use and random parking – it’s a carry over from winter). Outside Ahmed’s office is a pretty landscaped step and fountain area that has been filled in under a carpet of snow, it’s now all one height under the drifts, and if you didn’t know there was a fountain there you couldn’t tell now. And seeing how snow operates in a city explains why there are so few garbage bins on the streets – because they fill up and get buried. It’s all so bloomin’ obvious once you’ve seen it for yourself, isn’t it?

We’ve heard several of the locals trying to get their cars out. First the digging sounds, scrapping, dumping and grunting, then moving the vehicle back and forward, then the frustration marked by the high revving engines and the odd swear word. The guy downstairs who owns the big Dodge ute had a bit of shovelling to do to empty the back tray before he moved it. It doesn’t help that the ploughs pile wave after wave up on the side of the street and over the top of your car. I’m not sure where you’re supposed to dump all the snow as you dig out. I saw a guy over the road move his shovel loads across the street and put them behind a car opposite. So now that guy has to move all that snow as well as his own. I wonder if there’s a bit of a neighbourly snow war under way?

It also turns out that leaving a large pile of snow on the top of your car isn’t so wise. A decent hit on the brakes and it slides down over the windscreen and at three inches or more is too much for the wipers… or so Ahmed informs me after his little encounter with same (doh!)

Yes, I can be smug and laugh, I haven’t been out in it yet. Not even for a walk. I’ve been housebound with a fluey kid and a complete lack of motivation for leaving the building. But that won’t last long. Groceries will be in need of restocking by the end of the week and as Ahmed’s off junketing around Europe on this Baskin Robbins project (I made up that name – I’ve no idea what he’s doing but I guess it passes for work as he hasn’t been fired yet) for the next little while, I’ll be flying solo and I’ll have to get out if I want anything more than milk and bread. I’m guessing the next month or so is going to be pretty quiet in terms of being out, doing exciting things, and seeing exciting places. I’m sitting staring out at the snow and thinking of an afternoon of fish and chips and sandcastles on the beach … ah, maybe next summer.