The threat of snow came early in the week when the meteorologists started calling for 1-3 inches of snow....then it became up to 6 inches of snow....then it was 1 1/2 inches of snow...then it was up to an inch of snow, at least for Nashville anyways. Regardless, how much we were supposedly going to get, that four-letter word that so many people get excited to see was definitely headed our way. On the other hand, it sends the masses to the grocery stores to buy enough food for their household to feed a family of four for a month. Was I looking forward to this? Absolutely NOT! Until you have lived in the South when there is a snowfall, you have no idea what you're in for!
The highway departments started pretreating the roads on Tuesday with a mixture of salt and beet juice....more environmentally friendly and economical I guess. On Wednesday night, all Middle Tennessee schools were closed for Thursday since our snowfall was to begin around midnight. I decided to get up extra early and hit the road before rush hour began. Remember, just a rainy day can make rush hour a living hell! When I woke up Thursday morning, I looked at the window to the ground covered with nothing...not even frost. (Side note: I learned why our schools close so quickly. They have 13, yes 13, built-in snow days! It's either use them or lose them!)
I went to work and around 10:00 noticed that the snow was starting to fall. (Just for the record, I still dislike the white stuff!) Board members had been calling us beginning on Monday to see if our meeting on Friday was going to be cancelled. At this point, we didn't even know if the snow was going to hit us. Most of my day was fielding questions about the status of our meeting. However, around 3:00 you could tell that panic was setting in with some folks in my office. At around 2:45, I received an email saying that if you feel you need to leave early to get home, please do so. Here I am sitting at my desk going, "I'm not going home yet. I've driven in MUCH worse and without four-wheel drive." At 3:00, I received a phone call from my boss telling me to leave at 3:30. I told her that I wasn't concerned about driving in it, and she knew that, but told me to get a head start on traffic. I thought that was considerate. Ten minutes later, I received a phone call that said leave now. So as any good employee, I do as I'm told and head to my car. The parking lot is a little slick and there's some ice on my windshield, but I'm not worried. It's all about taking your time, right? Well, being the good Northerner living in the South that I am, I have no ice scraper in my car. Seriously. I know better. On the other hand though, I haven't had to use one in two years. So, I go with Plan B, and start my car with the defrost on high to clean my windshield (sitting in my car of course since it's illegal to start your car and leave it running outside with no one in it in Davidson County). Fifteen minutes later, I'm ready to battle the nutso's who don't understand the concepts of "stay back....go slow....and keep moving."
Leaving work was a battle as soon as I left the parking lot. The hill by my office had people struggling to make it over. Their tires kept spinning out. Regardless where I live, this is why I always put good rain/snow tires on my vehicle! After I sat there for a minute watching this occur, I decided that I had had enough. Patience has never been a virtue I've possessed. I turned the car around and went the back way. I noticed my co-worker followed me. I trucked it up the hill, keeping a nice steady pace and a good distance behind the car I was following, and it was going well. However, I forgot about the downhill part at the stop sign. When I got up to it, you could tell it was a sheet of ice! I crept up to the sign only to have my back end start to slide. My co-worker who I talked to later that night, said she was sitting behind me going, "Oh no---she's sliding! I know she's a cautious driver. Why isn't she stopping? Stop...stop....STOP!" She asked me if I was flipping out, and I told her all I was thinking about was how much I didn't miss this stuff. Even though I am a little out of practice driving in this weather, I still remembered to turn the wheel in the direction that my car was sliding. And yes, I got it stopped and didn't even slide into the intersection.
As for the main roads, they were perfect! I was very impressed to say the least. However, my temper started to rise when a lady in a minivan began to tailgate me. I told you they don't understand the stay back concept. I was shouting at her in my car saying, "Get off my butt lady! Do you not see that three-car fender bender over there" (Except what I quoted is not exactly what I said, but I think you get my drift!) I was relieved to reach my neighborhood only to see that the streets in my subdivision were far away from par. I need to tell you that my neighborhood is very hilly, and I have three major hills to climb to get home. All I could think was this was going to be a real treat. The first hill brought me a little green Miata that was spinning out. Neighbors were throwing dirt and sand on the road to help with traction, but it wasn't helping this guy. Out comes my Northern way, and I just kept moving, starting to pass the guy. I mean, really....you've got to keep moving people....there's no stopping on an icy hill. All I could think of was that this guy was thinking, "Here's comes a lady who thinks she can do whatever she wants in her SUV." No, it's really more that I just know what I'm doing. The Miata did tackle the first hill, and I know this because I got stuck behind him again on the second hill.
I could continue to go on and on and on with this story. I'm sure many of you find this funny, but hopefully you never have to deal with this situation. Neighbors abandoned their cars on the streets and walked home (smart idea, huh). Seriously, all I can say is what a bunch of morons! I made it home and even got my car up our steep driveway. That was impressive! Yep...I'm that lady in the SUV!
Meanwhile, what's even better was they cancelled the meeting that was going to be held on Friday at work and closed the office. Below is a picture of our weather that lead to all of the cancellations. Maybe you do wish you lived in the South!
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