PTP - March 5th 2015

A Chapter by dw817

So today there is SNOW, I mean everywhere ! Certainly enough to make a snowman or even build a snow fort. Here is some advice about how to handle it if you're going to get out in it.

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March 5th, 2015

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Happy Thursday.

I will start by saying after I got in from seeing my doctor and Carlos yesterday, I got busy on the computer with my headphones on. I took them off to make some cocoa in the kitchen when I heard a strange sound.

At first I didn't know if it was inside my home or outside - then Isis, my cat, pushed open the closed shutters with her nose and meowed.

So I took a look and didn't see anything. But I heard a whooshy sound. I opened my door and was blasted by how cold it was and still didn't see anything, but the sound was louder.

Finally I got enough courage to step out and I felt and heard it at once. It was raining ICE ! Not water, ICE, solid too, stinged my hand when I put it out.

So today there is SNOW, and it's sticking, I mean everywhere ! Certainly enough to make a snowman or even build a snow fort.

Well, I think it's a good idea to give some advice about how to handle it if you're going to travel in it.

I went out on foot this morning to get my mail and THOUGHT I was walking up a ramp, but it wasn't it was stairs, and I nearly lost my footing. I realized then that any 'RAMPS' I saw leading up to my mailbox were in fact stairs - so that's one thing you need to keep an eye out for.

The other was water trapped beneath the snow. I walked on one patch and my toe sank a full foot in icy cold water !

Brr-rr !

So look where people have stepped. If the sunlight is shining back water from their footsteps, you may want to take a different route to circumvent the wet spots.

If your kids want to go out and play in it, don't leave them unsupervised. It's possible there may be some deep patches and you can twist an ankle or fall suddenly to the ground in uneven snow.

If you want to drive in the snow and ice perhaps to pick up something from the store. Understand there could be iced over patches that no vehicle can travel through. You could put on a coat and step outside to see how iced over the road is where you pull your car out before you do.

It's possible it's so bad that even if you manage to use an ice scraper to get your car out and going that the road itself is unfit to drive on.

If you're insistent on going, bring a few things, a fully charged cellphone and some kitty litter. The phone can of course call for help (although I'm not sure how unless you are calling your folks to bail you out) but the kitty litter can be used if your car gets stuck, you can put it under the tires to get traction to get out of a bad spot.

If you are out driving in the snow and ice however, can you be seen and can you see ? You should NEVER drive your vehicle if you can't see clearly out the back window. I know Carlos tells me that he can simply look out the 2-side mirrors and navigate. But maybe he's a better driver, I don't know. Turn on that back window heater and let it run so you can see properly.

And to be seen, turn on your headlights, not high just regular beams. Drive slow and careful but not too slow as to cause other cars to put on their brakes behind you.

When you come up to a bridge, don't accelerate or use your brakes, maintain the same speed. There's an excellent chance it's iced over solid and you want to maintain control of your vehicle.

If you catch yourself skidding, strange as it sounds you need to steer TOWARDS the skid. That is, if your car is sliding to the left counterclockwise, you need to turn the steering wheel just a little bit to the left to compensate.

If you need your brakes, use them WELL ahead of when you normally would. Go very gentle on them and try to coast to a perfect stop where you need to be.

If you're going to work or someplace where you'll be away for a few hours, pay a little extra if need to be to get covered parking. If you leave your car outside in the open and it's still snowing, it may be a bit of a block of ice by the time you finish work or what you're doing.

ALWAYS make sure your headlights are turned OFF when you park. A dead battery is a very common thing and it's a pain to find someone who just happens to have jumper cables, though it wouldn't hurt for you to have some yourself.

If your car is 4-wheel drive, it is also better equipped to drive in the snow and ice than a standard 2-wheel drive. What 4-wheel drive means is there is an engine rotating all 4-tires. 2-wheel drive means it only turns the front or back tires, leaving the free rotating tires more likely to skid on the ice.