The Big Dig Begins

So it’s Sunday, the snows have stopped, and it’s time to begin digging out the ramp, front garden, and driveway.

The ramp is the dangerous part – we have to clear a spot, dump ice-melt where we’ve cleared, give it a few minutes, then move forwards.  Rise, repeat.

Thankfully we have some help with traction on the ramp, a friend several years ago laid down some wire mesh on one side that helps give our tires something to grip onto.

But it’s still a somewhat nervous experience, the rail on the left has stopped chairs from going over the side several times!

It looks like we’re going to have to then go dig a trench from driveway all the way up the road until we reach a main street (2 blocks) because our local town doesn’t seem to have bothered to send out snowplows this year.

It’s funny, we hear people in DC are up in arms that they only saw one snowplow.  We haven’t seen any.

Correction, I’ve seen one – an MNCPCC snowplow the other side of the river clearing a path to the recreation center.

People with working legs can still get through the snow (as our neighbors have proven as they’ve headed off this morning) but for someone in a wheelchair, we’re a lot more dependent on those plows.  DC residents only saw one and they want to complain?

Meh.

The true irony is going to be if the Town finally gets around to sending out a snowplow – the chances are it’ll just go and dump a 4′ berm of snow right on top of the trench we’re going to have to dig out so we can head up the street.

Anyone reading this please take note of the difficulties I’m trying to explain to you here – if you got hit by the snows, and you have a neighbor who is in a wheelchair, take a moment to check around to see how the snow might be trapping them today, and help them out.

You might be able to get through it and off about your business to do your Christmas shopping, or even grocery shopping through snowdrifts – they might not.

Update @ 1310:
Sent an email to the Mayor of the Town asking whether or not the Department of Public Works is actually running the plows, no reply as yet.  I sent one to the Town’s general email address last night, but got no reply to that either.

Update @ 1418:
Got a reply back from the Mayor:
“We are scrambling because of the size of the storm and depth of the snow.  We are now getting to the secondary street and hope to get to you this afternoon.”

Update @ 1900:
Still no plow – but it looks like the top half of the street was plowed at some point.  I wonder what the definition of “secondary street” is?  The logic seems frakked up – Clear the streets for the people who can get through the snow even if it’s unplowed, but not clear the streets for the people who absolutely cannot go anywhere unless it’s been done?

Update @ 0830 Dec 12th:
Road is plowed finally, some sort of chemical ice-melt was used it appears.  We’re not celebrating yet as there’s still one section that will keep us stuck here if it wasn’t cleared.  I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

OK, pics time.  We’ll update it as we go along, so you can see the fun we’re having.

(That was sarcasm)

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