The other night, we got hit with an actual blizzard. Twenty-point-five inches of snow accumulated at O'Hare, the nearest official measurement to our house. More than one hundred drivers were stranded for up to 12 hours in their cars or on CTA buses overnight Tuesday. As of last night, many Chicago side streets still hadn't been paid a visit by a Streets & Sanitation plow. The plows in our suburb didn't even get to our street until noon yesterday.
But here's the good that comes from a storm like this:
1. No school. The school-age kids on our block have been outside in the cold but fresh air both yesterday and today. They chose the giant mounds of snow at the end of our driveway as the ones best suited to tunnel through, so when we back out of our driveway, we can appreciate their handiwork on either side of us.
2. Good Samaritans. There were so many stories in this morning's paper about strangers helping one another -- like the twentysomething guys who brought backpacks of food and supplies to the people stranded on LSD, through 70 mph winds and pelting snow. Or the limo driver (the Tribune photo looks like he drives a tricked out Hummer) who picked up nurses from their various South Side homes and took them to work at Stroger Hospital.
3. A forced mid-week reprieve. Okay, so Brian spent the bulk of the morning shoveling and snow-blowing our driveway, then helping some neighbors clear out the driveways of the elderly women on our block, but he got a pretty solid chunk of time with Eamon, including a pull on his new sled, knowing that no one he works with was getting anything done either.
4. A warm house.
That's good stuff! Last time we had significant snow here (which is rare), I made sure to shovel in front of my older neighbor's walk and driveway, too. I know they have a shovel because they lent it to me once, so I wanted to return the favor. They probably never knew it was me since they weren't home, but it needed to be done - and it made me happy to do a little bit for them.
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