Tag Archives: Snow

Surviving a Winter Storm in Michigan

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Hello there! Did you think that I had fallen off of the face of the earth? Well, I didn’t but I did take a little break from blogging and all the social media stuff that is involved with it. It was really nice too and I never felt rushed or pressured to get something written.

Anyway, I’m back but probably in more of a limited fashion…. you know, just getting my toes wet more or less.

So how to survive a winter storm in Michigan… I’m sure that you’ve seen the million Facebook updates from people across the mid-west and the tweets as well about the rain, ice, snow, blowing, drifting, and let’s not forget the sub-zero temps that keep us locked up in our homes for fear of frost bite within mere minutes.

Michigan winter 2

I have a few tips to help you survive a winter storm in Michigan… or where ever you live.

These are in no particular order.

1. Totally forget how to drive in the ice and snow. This is especially important to those of you in Michigan and even more so if you’ve lived here your entire life.

2. Wait until the last minute and then rush to the store and stock up on all the essential items you’ll need. Like chips, beer, and wine. Skip the real food.

3. Realize that you don’t have real food and go out in the midst of the storm and shop for real food.

Michigan winter 1

4. Stalk everyone you know on Facebook. Get bored with that and find new friends on Facebook to stalk.

5. Try to remember what a normal day is like where the kids actually go to school and you can go to work.

6. When the county gives the all clear and the state of emergency has been lifted go outside and stare in wonder at the world of glass that you live in. Trees covered in ice are actually very pretty when the sun shines through them.

Michigan winter 3

7. Make sure that your snow shovels are securely put away in the shed so that when you need them you can’t because there is a three foot snow drift in front of the door.

8. Use the spaded shovel that wasn’t put away to attempt to remove the knee deep drift that’s at your door. Toss the shovel and give up quickly.

9. When driving on a snow covered road always go very slow and drive in the very middle of the road. It doesn’t matter what kind of car or truck you have either.  Oh… only move over a little bit if you see an oncoming car.

10. Make sure that you have a generator. Maybe two just in case the first one dies.

Now, if you hadn’t noticed some of these are a bit tongue in cheek. Funny, but definitely things that I’ve seen or have happened to me or have done and no, I’m not telling you which(s).

Crash

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Write on Edge: RemembeRED

Today we’re trying a little something different. Are you ready? Your word is below. Take the next ten minutes to write about the first single memory that word calls up. Focus on the emotions and the experience, spend ten minutes really exploring that memory. Then wrap it up, publish, and come back to link up.

Write on Edge - Crash

Winter…. January 31st to be exact. Just after 6pm and it was dark outside.

I took a back road for some reason… must have thought that it would have been quicker or something.

It had been snowing like it always does at that time of year in Michigan. Most of the roads were clear except for a few random drifts that happened to fill the roads where the fields were open.

The drifts never worried me much because I drove a four wheel drive Expedition. It plowed through drifts easily… like a knife through butter. Smooth and easy.

I was confident and sure that I was safe from the travesties that others experienced with their little cars.

Excitement was building as I drove on to meet up with some high school girl friends for a night out. I hadn’t seen them in a long time and was really looking forward to it. I never made it.

I came up over the hill and on the downside were drifts. Nothing special… until I drove through it. The drift caught my tire just right and I felt it pull my truck off to the right while I tried to get control of the truck. Fear raced through my body like nothing I had ever felt before. Before I knew it I was in the ditch and the truck tipped.

I was rolling…. I let go of the steering wheel and covered my head, it was an instinct. It wasn’t going to save me though. I kept rolling from side to side. Metal crunching, glass shattering, and my body being banged around the truck even though I had my seat belt on.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime it stopped. Windows were gone… the windshield was smashed but in tact, the roof was caved in. I did a mental check of myself…. I was fine. I survived.

Adrenaline was running high as I sat there trying to stop shaking. I fumbled around looking for my cell phone to call 911.

Fear still had it’s grip on me as I dialed several times… my hands were shaking so bad that I could barely dial. Finally I got it.  Help was in it’s way.

I missed my night out with friends and had to walk through almost knee deep snow in my brand new purple heels.

I am much more conscious about how I drive, the weather, and road conditions. I worry more than is necessary and I’m driving another truck.

Note: I followed the rules and wrote for 10 minutes and hit publish… this is not edited at all. So please be kind… the grammar and punctuation probably sucks.