A Clark County Winter
In mid-February, 2025, winter arrived and left. Did you catch it? It was here for about three days. It started weak and dry. Dusty little flakes arriving with a message that they might soon be gone and nothing to be concerned about. Although the arrival was less than dramatic, the precipitation continued and the storm rolled in. The snowfall increased. Soon we had our first real sign of winter. . . a tow truck.
Years ago I learned that when a snow storm starts the best thing you can do is to stay off the roads for the first hour or so. That way you know that – for the most part – by that time all the people who should not be on the roads no longer are. Then it can be considered safe to go out.
Here in Vancouver, Washington people take it one step further. They don’t stay off the roads for an hour or so. They stay home. If they do go out, most walk. Buses, commercial vehicles still operate.
Going shopping? No problem. Bring a sled and stay on the sidewalk. Merchants are supposed to shovel the walks in front of their businesses. Some do and try to make walking in the neighborhood safe. Some shovel just their area. And some don’t show up to shovel at all.
The guy I enjoyed seeing was the one who showed up, shoveled the walk and the path to the business, then walked through the still-snowy parking lot to leave.
The next day the weather turned back.
The snow retreated.
And we got left with wet.
And a reminder a couple days later that Spring is on its way.
Spring is nice but it seems a bit quick after what we had was just a winter in a weekend.