Another week, another snow storm

Looking at the calendar, I see that we are entering the third week of December. Looking outside, I see, for the second time in a week we’re snowed in. Okay, I have been around long enough to know snow this time of year isn’t a rare occurrence. I’m a double-nickel fellow myself-birth year was 55-and I remember the first few winters from the early 60’s when we’d sometimes get scenes like this before Halloween.

Still, what makes this year’s weather a bit sneaky is it was so warm for so long. You know, the weather fakes you out with all that Indian summer, temps in the 60’s right up through November, and when you aren’t looking, sucker punches you with really cold weather and snow. Oh, well, nothing to do but sit back and hope that this doesn’t last into April.

One really rude surprise is the return of slick roads. This isn’t Atigun Pass, and we aren’t Ice Road Truckers. Heck, if it was, we’d all be prepared. But when so much time passes between really good snows, you forget the little tricks that make driving on slick roads a little safer. Here’s one that was passed on to me by my cousin.

If you’re driving an automatic-and that’s almost everybody- when you try to stop quickly on icy surfaces, the car wants to slide. But that’s because the transmission is still applying torque to the drive wheels. If you put the car in neutral as you apply the brakes, the car will come to a smooth, straight stop.

For added safety, practice the panic stops, and get yourself used to putting the car in neutral as you apply the brakes. This could keep videos of you careening wildly as you try in vain to bring your vehicle under control off youtube.

On the plus side, it is December, and we are so close to Christmas. Yes, the holiday is as commercial as it ever was, but that goes with the season. Snow in December can help mitigate all that’s bad about Christmas, and help emphasize all you find right about the Yuletide.

My favorite traditions are certain Noels and television specials. Do I need to list A Christmas Carol, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, or It’s a Wonderful Life, to name but a few f our best-loved holiday shows?

Oh, then there’s the chance to take your sled to the top of a really high hill and try to break the sound barrier on your way down. Just remember that if you aren’t as young as you once were, old bones break more easily and take more time to heal.

That said, if you like extreme sledding, you might want to join the daredevils on Grapevine, where the locals sometimes patiently wait for a good snowfall, then throw the sleds in the back of a four-wheel drive truck, and drive to the top of Island Creek Mountain. From there it’s a long, hairy cruise down several miles of a curvy mountain road.

Okay, I only did this one time myself, but it’s not like I’m afraid to go again. It’s just that I don’t want to deprive anyone else of their chance if there aren’t enough sleds to go around.