Not Much Except Snow

The weather and road conditions are severely cramping my style this Christmas season.

We live in the country on a narrow road in the woods that's only been paved for less than a year. That's our road in the picture, running along the front of the trees on the far side of the frozen pond. If I didn't tell you that, it's doubtful you could distinguish the road from the rest of the snowy landscape.

The nearest place to do any away from home business is eight miles away. Most places I want to go are between ten and twenty miles from the driveway.

Before I can leave home I have to ask myself:

1. Can I get out of the driveway?
   
2. Do I want to get out of the driveway or would driving on the current road conditions be so stressful I'd be happier staying home?
   
3. Is it snowing? Raining? Freezing?
   
4. By the time I'm ready to come home, what will the roads be like? The visibility?
   
5. When the snowplow comes by, it creates a deep ridge of packed down, heavy snow and ice across the mouth of the driveway. Is the snowplow going to come while I'm gone so I won't be able to get back in the driveway? It's not like there is parking in the street around here.

The skies are blue this afternoon. I should be rushing out to the grocery store to get ready for the next snow hit. For tonight and tomorrow we've been promised 100% chance of snow and the prediction is for snow everyday forward until after Christmas.

Normally I love living here. Today I'm a cranky grandma whining about the weather and trying to remember why I probably would not like living in the city. What's the cure for this? Well, cranky children usually need a nap. Maybe I'll try that.