Snow Hole

It’s winter. It’s massively cold in the Mid-Atlantic region right now.  And a big storm was approaching a couple of weeks ago.  So of course, many a conversation turns to the topic of weather.

On a text thread with my sister and niece a couple of weeks ago, my niece said she lives in a snow hole.  The snow hits all around but misses her. 

I said I could relate.  I live in the Maple Glen Shield. Storms seems to hit all around except for the 3.1 square miles of our little town. 

Once, I was driving in the neighboring town where it was pouring down rain.  As soon as I crossed into Maple Glen, it was like I passed through a curtain.  I could have stood in the road with half my body in the rain and the other half not. An absolute line of rain where one side it was raining, the other not.

The snow hole comment led to some serious questions. 

My sister: If you live in a snow hole should you invest in a snow shovel or a snow blower?

My niece: I don’t even have a shovel.  I have a dust pan.

My sister: What if the snow hole has a hole and you get snow?

And there-in lies the rub.  Because it’s Weather.  It’s as unreliable as Comcast Customer Service.  Just as soon as you think you live in a snow hole or a shield, Weather pulls a fast one on you.

In my case, it pulled an F1 Tornado.  I live in PA, not Tornado Alley.  That was five years ago.  I don’t know what happened to our shield, but it was definitely not operational that day.

And then in the case of my niece?  Her snow hole turned out to have a hole in it and she got snow.  Lots of it.

My niece, sharing her updated forecast:  No snow hole for us.

My sister: You are going to need a bigger dust pan

Later my niece sent us a pic of a snow shovel she just bought with a detachable handle.

To which my sister replied: It looks like a dustpan with a longer handle.

Snow Hole? Shield? Pshaw. Don’t believe it.  It’s Weather.  And like a Fair Weather Friend, she will turn on you.