True to Saskatchewan form, March started with a roaring snowstorm!
I thought we were supposed to have an early Spring, but we have been pretty spoiled up until now, our first winter here. It started snowing on Saturday morning and didn’t stop until Monday morning. About 30-40 cm fell, according to various news reports, but my mom measured 18 inches on her driveway.
My sister had warned us to stock up on supplies for the weekend and luckily we did get some on Friday. But after hosting our eldest’s friend for a sleepover for not one but two days – her parents could not make it to our house because of the snow – come Monday, we needed some restocking.
Now driving in snow is not something we are used to. Driving through a foot and a half of snow is definitely not our forte, especially with only front wheel drive and no snow tires! We (well, Matt) tried to back out of our garage onto the street and promptly got stuck even though some of the snow had been cleared already. Our lovely neighbour next door, who owns a snowblower, had cleared our driveway and sidewalk for us the day before yesterday. And another lovely neighbour happened to be outside when we got stuck. Armed with a shovel, she came to help dig us out. After a few failed attempts to move the car, cardboard and wood were placed under the tires.
It was just about then that another friendly fellow from down the street drove up and jokingly told us to “get out of the way”. He then proceeded to help dig us out as well. My sister had told me that the only really winter safety thing you need in your car is a shovel. She wasn’t kidding. After another five minutes or so of digging, adjusting, reversing and pushing, Matt made it back onto our driveway into the garage…where it will stay until the roads are cleared by the city. We would have struggled out there on our own if not for our very knowledgable and kind neighbours!
The same neighbour who originally saw us struggling with wheels spinning generously offered to drive us to the grocery store. Her car is smartly equipped with snow tires and all-wheel drive! We could have walked there if we were desperate, but the normal 20 minute journey would likely have been doubled with the ground completely covered in snow.
This is what the kids’ schoolgrounds looked like this morning. It’s a little hard to see but there are a few pathways carved into the foot high snow.
If you are living somewhere with a potential ensuing snowstorm, these are my tips on what not to do in preparation.
How to (Not) Prepare for a Snowstorm
1. Stock up on supplies! Drag your kids, kicking and screaming, to the grocery store the day before said storm so you only have the patience to get enough food to last your family of five for a few days. Be sure to stock up on the “essentials”: chips, frozen treats and wine though! NOT milk, eggs, bread and butter!
2. Schedule a play date for your son the day of the impending snowstorm and make sure you are on the road when it starts! Forget to look up the exact directions before driving and take a wrong turn, then ask your seven year old son to navigate for you. Discover that he is terrible at reading directions on the phone. And also make sure the play date is at the place where you got a flat tire the last time you were there!
3. Have another one of your children’s friends come over when the snowstorm is brewing and watch as her parent drives off, not knowing when they’ll be able to come back and get her.
4. Somehow coincidentally get your six year old tv to stop working (no picture, but sound) so you are forced to interact and/or entertain your children for the entire three-day weekend. Update: suggest using a projector with the AppleTv that still thankfully works. Watch the hour-long remainder of the movie you started the night before when the tv was still working, slightly out of focus and discover that there was another focus button only after you’ve finished.
5. Make sure that you have only ONE pair of snow pants to share between FOUR of you, aged ten to forty-something, so you can’t all go outside at the same time to frolic in the snow.
6. Also before moving to Saskatoon, have your husband throw out the kids’ sleds and don’t buy new ones for them, because when does it ever snow in Saskatoon?
I am SO looking forward to Spring!
