Kitty Felde

Snowpocalypse intermezzo

By Kitty Felde | Feb. 8, 2010

The snow stopped falling Saturday night. Sunday was stunning - bright, white light reflecting off of snow higher than your knees. Tree branches snapped off all over the neighborhood from the weight of the wet snow. It's beautiful.

I shoveled snow for the first time. Although we couldn't find the shovel. Apparently, it got lost in the move along with the iron. So I used a dustpan and broom to clear off the car. Or part of it. My husband finished the job this afternoon. Not that I want to try driving anywhere.

It's different than the snow you drive in on the way to skiing at Big Bear. In California, you put chains on your car or the CHP won't let you up the mountain. Here, they have "all weather" tires which means people drive like bats out of hell and slosh all over the place.

We'll see whether the Senate hearings scheduled on Capitol Hill tomorrow afternoon are cancelled. If they aren't, I may end up walking. Again. I did the mile and a half twice in December. In the middle of the night. Walking on ice in the middle of the deserted streets.

I met a woman today who's been driving a snow plow, clearing a single lane on most streets. She hasn't seen her seven year old daughter since Saturday. The daughter keeps asking, "when are you coming home?" She doesn't know.

That's because tomorrow we're expecting Snowpocalypse Trois. Ten to twenty inches! It sounds like all those "Little House on the Prairie" blizzards. That snow plow woman and that wonderful couple who manage to deliver the Post every morning and the guys who are working to restore power out in the suburbs are the real heroes.

Californians keep emailing, saying "keep warm!" It doesn't really feel cold when you wear your gloves, hat, scarf, and a couple of layers. You have to keep your feet dry. But homes are insulated here. So it's warm inside. And it's quite nice to drink the local apple cider with a bit of brandy.

But the town has pretty much shut down. I've missed three Saturday dance classes. My Tuesday and Wednesday night dance classes have already been cancelled. Church was cancelled Sunday. So was a theatre performance. The Metro only runs on the underground stops. Which means if you live in the central part of the District, you've got a way to get around. And one of the bus lines, the Circulator, is also running today. For free. Tomorrow? That's an open question at this point. Another ten to twenty inches? I can't imagine.

Here's a gripe: not everyone shovels their sidewalk. So often you're walking on several inches of packed snow. When the sun's out, the snow melts a bit, only to freeze up again overnight and turn to ice. It's like walking on the Arrowhead Pond. It's a bit scary.

But so far, the locals are in pretty good moods. People are kind to each other, telling stories about digging out the car or waiting in line for more than an hour at the grocery store. Everyone wants to get out into the fresh air, take pictures of the piles of snow, talk to human beings they don't know. Yet. My husband met some crazy guys down on the Mall who spent all day Sunday building an igloo. He had a great time helping out.

Even the cat got out in the snow. Everything smelled good and fresh and she didn't much mind having cold, wet feet. Now she keeps rushing out to the elevator, trying to get out again.