Winter Survival Test

I am not much of a winter person.  The sum total of my usual winter experience is the distance in the garage from my car to the back door,  or from my car to the grocery store entrance.

Because I live fairly close to the grocery store, I always figured that in a dire emergency,  I could always walk there.

Today is our first day of real winter, and it has come with a vengeance.  I decided, just for the experience, that I would test my ability to actually walk to the store.   I put on the best of my winter stuff,  though I am not very accustomed to dressing for frigid temps.   I wore leggings, and then the kind of athletic pants with zippers and elastic at the ankle, for ease of getting boots on and off.  I put on my down coat and headed out into the driveway.  The drifts were two feet deep in spots.  The first thing I noticed was how bright it was with all that snow.  I decided that I needed sunglasses, and probably a hat with a visor.  I went back in to get those.  Then I tried again, but realized that I would also need my best ear-muffs, and thickest gloves and a scarf.   So out I went. Half way across the driveway, I realized that I had to go to the bathroom, so back in I went.  It took three tries for me to get across the driveway,  but I was glad I had taken the time to prepare.   At first, I had images of me as a snow bunny.  But by the time I headed off,  I felt more like the Goodyear blimp.   Then I realized this was not a beauty contest, but a test of survival.

 The winds were whipping and roaring at thirty miles per hour and the snow was blowing.   Off I headed to the grocery store and to my winter adventure (it is less than a mile).  Truth be told, I was not comfortable driving, as I was sure I would probably not be able to make it back up the hill to my house.  Soon I discovered that those winds were whipping mightily in my face and I had to hold my scarf over my face to keep from getting wind burn.  That, of course, caused my glasses to steam over, and I could not see.  But on I trudged.

When I actually got to the grocery store and began to take off some of my winter garb, I realized that I certainly hoped I would not encounter anyone I knew!   I purchased my one item, and headed back out.   I did worry about the cars going up and down the road, whether or not one might slide and hit me into the guard rail.  My only out would be to jump it, if I were fast enough.   Going up the hill, I encountered a snow plow coming down.   Seeing me,  he took a turn off.  I'm glad, or I would have been buried there beside the road.

The last few yards to my house were actually the most treacherous, as they had just been plowed and were very slick.   I slipped a few times, but did not fall, thankfully.

This was absolutely a test of my own abilities against the dangers of winter.  I am happy to report that I lived to tell the story!