Winter Storm Jonas

[L Verge]

Thomas, I want to know how you got out of having to shovel snow??

I had to pay a pretty hefty amount to have two young folk shovel my fairly long driveway (Jim, if I had yours, I'd move...), but it was worth every penny. It also gave me a fresh perspective on how deep the snow was in our area. I had been judging by the rails on my fence and thinking about 15-18 inches, but when the shoveling began (on a flat and even surface), it turned out to be about 20". And, I hate every inch of it!

It's not that it's just an inconvenience to me, but I worry about those who have to travel and may get injured, the damage to property, those who die as a result of accidents and heart attacks, the homeless in need of shelter, the wildlife. My heart really went out to the people along the Jersey shore when I saw the videos of the flooding and clumps of snow floating down the city streets and into people's homes and cars. I much prefer the peaceful daffodils and cherry blossoms...

I've told my friends that I suffer from PTSD - Post Traumatic Snow Disorder - after going to a mountain college in western Maryland where the first snows fell in mid-October and lasted through mid-April with almost constant winds and freezing temperatures. One March, it was -27 degrees and so much snow that we could not open the outside doors of the dormitories until the maintenance crews plowed the sidewalks (with a Jeep) and shoveled out the doors. Whatever possessed me to go to that college, I have no idea except that it was highly rated and affordable for my parents.