Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Snow Job

What, you may be asking, is that photo supposed to show? Ha! Our driveway marker. What's still visible.

Okay, we've had upwards of 100" of snowfall already this season. We're due for another blast tonight into tomorrow bringing another 6 to 8 inches. And even more coming Saturday and Sunday.

I imagine parents are beginning to get weary of snow days. Even Bacchus has retreated from his favorite snow bank to the comfort of the living room couch.

Spokane County has run through its plowing budget and if Kootenai County hasn't, they must be close to it. The roads are terrible. People who choose to live here are bearing the burden with relatively good humor. But I've got to laugh. You've got to love officialdom.

In Coeur d'Aelne many residents have their garbage containers and recycling bins in back alleys. Waste Management wants them moved to where workers have easy access to them. First of all, wading through knee deep, or deeper, snow to get garbage to the containers is a chore unto itself, what's more getting them out from an alley to a convenient street location!

And of course that only works if the sidewalk or a drive has been cleared so there is a place for the receptacle if you can get it there. In the spirit of clearing one's sidewalk there is a problem as to where to put the snow. Some residents were pushing it into the streets so the plows could move it on. This was supposedly obstructing traffic for the one or two cars that ventured out in the first place. So in Spokane you get can slapped with a "disorderly conduct" charge.

Let's see. Police are asking you to not go out unless absolutely necessary. The roads are virtually impassable because they're not being plowed in the first place. You're required by law to keep your side walks clear; you have to get your trash cans to the street and yet you can't push the snow into a public roadway.

We are knee deep in it, that's for sure. I found that out when I made my way to my bird feeder this morning. But for some poor residents it ain't just snow they're knee deep in...

3 comments:

Word Tosser said...

In Bonner county the school have been going ever day. They had Monday off due to teachers second quarter grading... but every other day, the kids are in school..
Also up in Sandpoint the garbage cans in the front during winter has been the rule for over 20 years. As when I lived there, we had to do that.
I wonder what the gated community does when you aren't allowed to have your garbage out front.. or is that ok during garbage day.
I wonder how the people from warm states and this is their first year here, are doing?

Anonymous said...

What I don't understand is all this gushing over how wonderful the people plowing the streets are. Sherman had snow knee deep down the center. Other streets were fender deep in snow, ice and I don't even want to think what else. Yes, there has been the odd plow on my street...trying to set a land speed record! To say nothing of piling gunk in every freshly shoveled drive. This can be avoided, but not when the plow is going at warp speed. Oh well, this IS northern Idaho, isn't it.

Idaho Dad said...

The roads right around us have at least been flattened out by the plows. It's bumpy, but passable. However, that doesn't help us one bit because the streets in our neighborhood haven't been plowed at all, so we have a good foot of rut-filled snow that is a real adventure. Today I helped two neighbors get their cars unstuck from right in front of their homes. My own van got stuck two blocks up, but thankfully four motorists stopped to push me on my way. Meanwhile, my wife went to work tonight but I fear she will not be able to get back home in the morning if we get that predicted 5-6 inches!