As I write this, it is the last full weekend in January. And the snowstorm hit as expected. As one can see in the photo above, most residents found spaces to park on the road outside our complex, so that snowplows could clear our lot. If one looks carefully, the snowplow has cleared at least 8 inches of snow and pushed it to the rocks bordering our parking lot. What bothers me is the one car in the photo has not moved in a couple of weeks, and I will ask management if they know whose car it is so that we can verify that it was not abandoned here.
I had originally intended to go outside to photograph the snow, the parking lot, and the road outside. However, the sub-freezing cold made me reconsider this today. I figured that I will need to shovel 12-18 inches of snow from my car, so that I can move it back to a plowed parking spot. However, I won't do this too early, as the snow removal service will be using part of my parking spots as a place to dump snow. (Yes, I have 2 spots. But they are set up in a way that only one family unit can use them, as the car deepest in the 2 spots will be blocked by the other car associated with the apartment.)
Being a co-op board member, I received messages from both shareholders and board members. The following voicemail transcription (with minor edits by me) illustrates an issue that I discussed involving snow storm parking:
I saw your email about parking in the visitor spot. I see the plow. He's actually pushing so much snow into our spots, so we're not gonna be able to bring some of our cars back.
I'm parked way down (the road). I couldn't find anything closer. I don't know how I'm gonna get there and I'm stuck in the spot because I had to go over a curb. It's a little bit high and there was ice on the grass. This is the difference between what's happening this time and last time we did this a few years back.
I really think we need the front loader to remove the snow. I don't know if we can afford it, but we're not gonna have our spots available to us because nothing's gonna melt and it's all gonna be ice.
I'm stuck in the spot where I am on the road. I can't move forward or back. My car was stuck in the ice after I parked it there (last time).
This woman is on our board. However, a neighbor brought up similar concerns with a different attitude, as he's middle aged with a newborn son. I'm grateful to have this man and his wife as neighbors, as they are some of the most considerate people who have lived here in years. As you can see, we have a big problem dealing with heavy snowstorms because we do not have enough extra space for dealing with snow.
Sadly, the beauty of this snow will be lost within a day or two. All we'll remember is shoveling out of our cars in sub-freezing weather. Then, we'll see dirt accumulate on the road side snow. Its beauty will be gone. I miss those days where I could play in the snow all day. But childhood must end for all of us. I miss being a young adult, being able to go out cross-country skiing all day. (I still have those skis, not having been used in 40 years.) I miss being middle aged, where clearing my car off from a heavy snowstorm was not much of an effort. For all things there is a time and place, and for me, I'm glad to still be able to dig my car out of the snow and move it back to its normal home.
Until I'm ready to go outside again, I'll stay in my jammies and relax.
