The Challenges of Snow

We were hit with a snowstorm more than a week ago, and it’s still with us.

I’ve lived my whole life in the DC area, and I’ve seen some snows, of course.  But this one has really been a challenge.

In this area, we haven’t dealt with a significant snow in a few years, and our typical temperatures melt it pretty quickly. 
So this snow’s accumulation, its ice-layer-on-top-of-snow-layer, and the prolonged freezing temperatures, all make it different and more challenging in many ways.

Driving to work, I’ve dealt with the sudden disappearing lanes, the folks bundled up and waiting for a bus by standing in a busy lane of traffic, and the glaciers flying off the tops of nearby trucks.  But I am most struck by the dogs and their owners just trying to take walks in this altered universe.

The dogs I’ve seen in my travels look – I don’t know – concerned?  What on Earth happened to their yards, their neighborhoods, their walking routes, their favorite smells, and their go-to lampposts? They’re out on their walks, many sporting coats, sweaters and booties, navigating the new world of narrow or un-shoveled sidewalks, four-foot, icy mountains at crosswalks, and detours everywhere.

I haven’t noticed much wildlife since the snow, so I assume they have their own ways of coping, but I did see a young squirrel run across the road, only to face an ice mountain on the other side.  I stopped and waited while it got up the nerve to jump onto the mountain and continue on its way.

Watching the animal world deal with the snow is a reminder that what happens in the world happens to us all.  As this winter proceeds, and as spring eventually comes, we’re in good company.