Here in southwest Missouri, the temperatures are frigid and they're set to plummet to ungodly levels starting tomorrow. Additionally, they're calling for like 3-9 inches of snow next week. Right now, we're looking at roads covered in ice with little hope of that changing before the snow flies.
Yes, I am from Michigan. Up there, this would be just another yucky day in the month of February. Hell, in the upper peninsula, that weather would be defined as 'Tuesday'. Down here, it's bad.
Since southern Missouri and the entire state of Arkansas don't see weather like this but once... maybe twice... every decade, it means they just aren't prepared to deal with icy roads and more than a dusting of snow. They can't drive in snow and ice, and they don't do well keeping the roads clean. (For the record, Missouri is better at it than Arkansas, but not by much.)
Add in the fact that the roads around here are mostly hills and curves, and you've got a recipe for disaster.
So, we're staying home.
Oh, I have no doubt I could safely drive to pretty much anywhere around here. Might be a little sketchy getting out of the neighborhood, but after that, I'd be golden. The main problem is other drivers. They can't seem to maintain their lanes on gorgeous days. What will their craptastic driving be like when the roads are bad? Personally, I don't want to find out the hard way. Nope nope nope. I have never ended up with my car in the ditch and I don't want to start now.
Yeah, it would be a little sketchy getting out of the neighborhood.. that's the other thing. You see, they don't send the big salt trucks and plows in here. Ever. There's one dude in a brown pickup who comes through with a spreader attachment in the truck's bed, sporadically shooting salt as he goes. When we have snow, he has a plow attachment on the front and a spreader on the back. I think the county contracts him to do it. Lord knows, it's not a county vehicle. He'll get here when he gets here.
And until he gets here, the hills my little car has to climb to get out to the highway are going to be slippery as hell. And I don't even want to think about that S curve right before the BIG hill. Blerg.
So here we are and here we'll stay. We're pretty well stocked up on the necessities. The only thing we're going to run out of before too long is deer food. Which sucks for them. And I feel really bad that I wasn't more on the ball last week and got loads more corn to carry them through. =o\
How's the weather where you are?
