Tuesday Musings

It's Snow Fun!

I bet you didn’t know that Oklahoma names its snow plows! The Oklahoma Department of Transportation offered a contest last fall for students across the state to name its many snow plows ahead of the winter season. I got a laugh out of some of the creative names: Sled Zeppelin, Sleetwood Mac, Polar Abdul, Taylor Drift and Chilly Nelson. Add to that Betty Whiteout, Clearopathra, Snowbi Won Kenobi and Darth Blader. And a fifth grader takes credit for Plow Chicka Plow Plow! See all the naming results here along with an interactive map of their locations.

I needed that bit of humor on my first winter storm after relocating to Oklahoma City from Tucson, Arizona. With a little research I learned that at least a dozen other states have similar contests engaging the public on the naming rights for these important public safety vehicles. Obviously, I have never lived in any states cold enough to have a snow plow naming contest, so I was unaware of this sort of creativity. But, I like it.

This weekend’s winter blast taught me a few other things.

1. Pop up your windshield wipers on your car before you call it a night. Lucky for me, I pulled in to my parking space at my little apartment building and parked next to someone who had already propped up their wiper blades. Ahhh, thanks for the reminder. I promptly did the same which saved me a lot of headache the next morning.

2. Check for drafty windows. This I did not do. I found snow on the INSIDE of the windows in the living room of my small, but quaint, historic apartment. This old building boasts its original windows, but can not claim the energy efficiency prize on the block. In preparation for night two of the arctic freeze, I wiped the sills and rolled up towels to place along the window openings to prevent future snow sculptures from forming.

   

3. Find an indoor activity that you can do while binge watching T.V. shows. It just so happens, the one Christmas gift I brought with me was the thrift store hook rug project my sister gave me. I recall tossing this in the back of the U-Haul thinking that’s something I could do on a cold winter night. Indeed. Now, all I need is a few more days of this tempest, and I’ll have a 12x12 vintage 1970’s piece of wall art and nowhere to hang it!

Truth be told, I really welcomed the snowstorm. I needed the down time. After my first three weeks on a new job, I was ready to rest. I was happy to settle in for a long(ish) winter’s nap and rejoice in the quiet which only a steady 48-hour snow shower can bring. There is something about the calm that comes with empty streets blanketed with snow that reminds me it’s ok to decelerate and let Mother Nature restore me for the next few weeks ahead because as soon as the work of the snow plows are done, we’ll be back at it all over again.