Ohhhh The Weather Outside is Frightful

...and let's just leave it at that, shall we?

Of course, it's nowhere near as frightful as what my friend Natalie got but it is pretty gross.  No matter where you are, snow and wind and single-digits temps are no fun.  I had to park my car on the front lawn so Hubby wouldn't have to park in the street where he ran the risk of getting plastered by one of the many ijits who drive past our house on a daily basis.

Yesterday, while stopped at a red light, I got to watch a semi headed toward me begin to jackknife.  Wheeee.  Lucky for him, me and the people around him, he managed to pull out and get the truck under control before he smashed into anyone.

One would think people who live in Colorado would know how to drive in snow.  Unfortunately, they don't.  I saw the same thing when I lived in Michigan.  Why some people think they can drive in snow the same way they drive on dry pavement is beyond me to understand.  So, here are a few things about winter driving I thought I'd share

1) Underneath that fluffy white stuff the road is slick.  So...
  1a) You won't be able to stop as fast (i.e. don't tailgate)
  1b) You'll need to gently apply the gas when you want to accelerate otherwise your tires will spin and you'll go nowhere.
  1c) You can't maneuver like Vin Diesel in an action flick.  Whipping in and out of traffic is frowned upon even on the best of days - and this ain't one of them.

2) Pay Attention!  Other people can't control their vehicles any better than you can (and trust me, you can't control yours as well as you seem to think).

3) SLOW DOWN.  The life you save may be MINE, you dumb shit.  I don't want to die because you have ten minutes to get to your hair appointment and the beauty salon is eleven minutes away.  There is nothing at the grocery store you need so bad you're willing to die or kill others getting it.  If you think your boss is going to fire you for coming in late again, leave the house ten minutes earlier. 

In non-driving related reminders, let me point out....

- Just because your pets are wearing a fur coat doesn't mean they can't get frostbite or even freeze to death.  Don't leave your animals outside when it's this damn cold.  If you do, don't be surprise when a good person just happens to call Animal Control on your stupid ass.  (Like I did one January in Michigan when the dog next to my office building had no food, shelter or water for days and every step looked painful because her little paws were frozen.)

- If your kid hates wearing his winter clothing, and screams when you put it on, leave him at home. If you can't afford proper winter clothing, please locate your nearest Goodwill, St. Vincent DePaul, Salvation Army, Deseret Industries, church, or other charitable organization.  Coat drives are going on all over the country right now.  And if worse comes to worst, socks work very well as mittens.  Yeah, it loooks stupid, but so does having a kid with eight fingers because you couldn't keep his hands warm.

- There's a reason snow blowers have warning labels.  When it says not to stick your hand inside, DON'T.  I knew two guys when I was in college who were missing the same two fingers from separate snow blower accident.  True, the first guy was just a kid when he lost his, but the other guy was in his forties - and he KNEW about the first guy's accident. 

I guess what I'm saying is: use common sense during this time of year.  I know it seems like common sense is lacking these days, but everyone really does have it - even if they often choose not to use it.

And since I know those people reading this are chock-full of common sense, I'd just like to tell you all to be careful out there. You never know when some moron could decide he's such a good driver, he doesn't need to worry about ice and snow.  I don't want to learn that any of you have become a victim of senselessness.

:HUGS:

Now, back to your regularly scheduled blogging and back to shoveling for me.