Snowbound

First wet snow, then snow, then freezing rain on top for a total of about 5 inches, which has shut down Atlanta and most of north Georgia for 3 days now. Today I managed a test run of about a mile down the road to the Publix grocery and found the roads passable at low speeds for low volumes of traffic, but speeds over about 25 mph would have been a disaster. The major intersection by the grocery store was solid ice and had to be crossed at about 5 mph. It was good that the schools were closed and traffic very light. Even at that several major roads were shut down on and off still today. Most have some lanes clear, but if the volume gets high at all, accidents multiply quickly. Still, 3 days being home bound has reminded me of some important things:

• Those panics that clear out the grocery stores just before winter storms in the south, times like this make them seem not so unreasonable.
• After shoveling my driveway, but taking about 4 sessions to get it done, reminds me of why short driveways are common and practical up north.
• Thankfully few trees fell so power outage has not been a big problem. I should be more grateful every day for blessings like reliable electricity!
• When I started my career I could basically get no work done at home at all; now I can do a great deal by computer. The productivity difference is startling.
• I am amazed at how many folks do not have so much as a viable shovel for snow.
• The government continues to confirm for me that they don't handle anything out of the routine effectively, even when it is predicted every day for a week in advance.

It has been a strange week, but the Christmas decorations did get taken down!