Sunday
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
If you'd like to be part of the Itzl Alert Network, please leave a comment asking to join, or send us a message asking to join. We'd love to have you. The bigger our network, the less likely someone will be stranded all alone.
I mowed again yesterday. As I mowed, I reflected on the Bad Weather email, and just how untimely it was. We don't usually get bad weather here until January. January and February are our worst winter weather months. Our worst summer weather months range between May and September, but winter is brief here.
Oh, we have cold days, where the temps drop to near freezing for weeks, but the ice and the snow usually come for a day or two at a time in January and February.
Three years ago and 2 years ago we had the worst winter weather - snow more than 2 feet deep that stayed on the ground for 2 weeks or so. With no snow plows and with sanding working best on the slick icy conditions we are more likely to get, we, as a city, were vastly unprepared for deep snow.
Driving in to work was a study in shoveling skills. I'd shovel 20 feet in front of my car, drive to the end of the shoveled area, shovel another 20 feet, drive some more, hit a shallow spot and get an additional 50 feet or so. People would see me shoveling, and - surprisingly, they'd come out and shovel, too, so I'd get a little further. Took me 4 hours to get to work that day.
But, on the bright side, the route I took was shoveled, and the people living along the route, had cleared enough snow that my drive the rest of the week was possible.
I guess it never occurred to people that they could clear the roads themselves instead of waiting on someone else to do it for them. Once they realized they had the power to shovel roads themselves, it made a difference.
Of course, they forgot the next time it snowed, so I had to shovel/drive until they remembered.