Sunday 6 February 2011

Why one should show tolerance

We've had snow on the ground since Tuesday, and Bob has been chafing at staying indoors. Yesterday we finally broke out and puttered around Huntsville. We went to the "Pantry" - a small bulk grocery and deli run by Mennonites - and drove around a bit. Where our county road intersects the US Highway, the vehicle in front of us stopped and the driver got out, waving us around him. (This sort of thing happens all the time in England, but rarely here.)

So today we worked all morning, and after lunch went to Springdale for building supplies. At the same intersection, the car in front of us stopped and the driver got out, but only for a second. So I said, "Why is everyone stopping there??!" As the words left my mouth, Bob braked to stop at the stop sign, which happens to be at the bottom of the hill. And the thick blanket of snow that had been on top of the van since Tuesday all came sliding down the windshield. So, yes, we had to stop and Bob got out to scrape off all that snow and clear his line of sight.

We all had a laugh, and I hope I learned a bit about patience.

3 comments:

Wil said...

You're lucky/blessed...

A lot of places (Oklahoma & Texas for sure), it's illegal to drive with packed snow/ice still on your car (and dangerous too). A couple of accidents I covered for the newspaper were caused by similar chunks flying off onto a car behind.

But I'm glad everyone was okay. :-)

Anonymous said...

I had to laugh at this one; I know it can be dangerous, and am glad it wasn't. It usually happens to you only once, then you remember to sweep it off before you leave the driveway. mums

MamaOlive said...

I hadn't even thought about it being dangerous... We had to use a full-size broom to clear the snow from the sides, and Bob got on a ladder to scrape the windshield. I guess if he'd used the broom while on the ladder he could have got the snow off the top. Full size van is a little trickier than a sub-compact. (yeah, I know - excuses, excuses.)