Oui! Winter has wrapped you all up. Do you dare take walks, or drive in these conditions? How do people get to work? You can tell I have little or no experience with snow.
When 1/4 of this snow falls upon Rome the city gets totally paralysed since Romans are incapable of driving on snow. Fortunately, it happens very seldom. I remember this Dutch girl, 40 years ago. Rome had an exceptional quantity of snow those days and drivers went crazy in the streets losing control of their cars. I saw contempt in the Dutch girl's look. Man, I really hated her stupidity and narrow-mindedness. I still get angry now that I think of it.
This morning, my daughter drove our 15 years old grandson to the Metro staion, 8 kilometers. Usually requires 20 minutes, took over 45 minutes, then drove to work usually 30 minutes, took an hour...and she had no bridges to cross. Those who had took an hour just getting on the bridge. Of course, save for a few stupids, we all have snow tires on our cars. It is very nice to take walk when it snows and kids have lots of fun in it, our 4.5 years Ariane had a ball this morning. Of course we have all the required snow moving equipment and in the hours following a snowfall most streets and sidewalks have been cleared. Our own snowremover has already been around twice, once at 4:37 am, then again at around 11:00 am to finish the job. We had 20 centimeters not a major event.
Exactly Paul. It is natural for people in cold climates to be organized for snow. Like we are organized for very hot days. It's a pity I didn't see her in Rome at the apex of heat :-)
Some years back at the beginning of what was to be a whopper of snow storm, my wife was driving back home from work. While stopped at a red light, she saw a woman walking to her car from the nearby bus stop. She said there had been no bus for over 45 minutes and would she take her in, if she was going to Montreal North, with the two men still on the sidewalk. The lady had a strong Italian accent and the two men looked like our typical Italian neighbours. She took them along, they were going about a block away from our place. On the way one of the men commented: "Madame tu conduis comme un homme". To this day my wife is flattered whenever she recalls that episode. Coming from an Italian, it was the most exquisite and sincere compliment she had ever recieved.
This sounds a bit archaic Paul. Italians don't think only men can drive. One thing are the Italians chez vous, and another thing the Italians chez nous. And there are at least 30-40 different types of Italians chez nous. Maybe more. But we have discussed this topic ad nauseam over at my blog.
The event I related took place in 1971, almost 40 years ago. Most of our neighbours were from Bari (one family) or were Calabrese or Abbruzzese. Fun loving they were forever into wine making and drinking. Most were road construction workers or ciment finishers. And the aromas coming out of those kitchens was enough to make you fat.
Oui Rob-bear, de la neige pour tout le monde au Canada et nos provinces de l'ouest, jusqu'ici, en ont eu beaucoup plus que nous au Québec...et beaucoup plus froid aussi. Le printemps s'en vient...plus que 4 mois.
I remember snow like this when I was growing up in Minneapolis. It was fun, it was deep, and deeper, but it seemed like it was a pleasant, usually, part of life. Even the blizzards seemed pretty cool as they rattled our windows, and made howling sounds.
It seems as if there are far more things that have to be done RIGHT NOW than there were when I was younger, somewhere between Zeus and you, Paul. It takes all the focus off the beauty of the break from routine, it is much more now about the inconvenience.
Of course, as an adult, you worry more about the integrity of roofs, and that kind of thing.
We found out last year about that snow shoveling business. What was once a chore we could handle, became a near impossibility without a certain, critical amount of help from neighbors. It wasn't something we could do very well anymore. Arthritis, bad backs, and old bones have a way of altering one's perspectives. Still, snowfall, like rainfall, is so beautiful.
It is beautiful to look at snow or rain falling. It's even beautiful to look at all that white blanketing the ground...until you pay the snowremover's bill.
Oui! Winter has wrapped you all up. Do you dare take walks, or drive in these conditions? How do people get to work? You can tell I have little or no experience with snow.
RépondreSupprimerWhen 1/4 of this snow falls upon Rome the city gets totally paralysed since Romans are incapable of driving on snow. Fortunately, it happens very seldom. I remember this Dutch girl, 40 years ago. Rome had an exceptional quantity of snow those days and drivers went crazy in the streets losing control of their cars. I saw contempt in the Dutch girl's look. Man, I really hated her stupidity and narrow-mindedness. I still get angry now that I think of it.
RépondreSupprimerThis morning, my daughter drove our 15 years old grandson to the Metro staion, 8 kilometers. Usually requires 20 minutes, took over 45 minutes, then drove to work usually 30 minutes, took an hour...and she had no bridges to cross. Those who had took an hour just getting on the bridge. Of course, save for a few stupids, we all have snow tires on our cars.
RépondreSupprimerIt is very nice to take walk when it snows and kids have lots of fun in it, our 4.5 years Ariane had a ball this morning.
Of course we have all the required snow moving equipment and in the hours following a snowfall most streets and sidewalks have been cleared. Our own snowremover has already been around twice, once at 4:37 am, then again at around 11:00 am to finish the job.
We had 20 centimeters not a major event.
Exactly Paul. It is natural for people in cold climates to be organized for snow. Like we are organized for very hot days. It's a pity I didn't see her in Rome at the apex of heat :-)
RépondreSupprimerSome years back at the beginning of what was to be a whopper of snow storm, my wife was driving back home from work. While stopped at a red light, she saw a woman walking to her car from the nearby bus stop. She said there had been no bus for over 45 minutes and would she take her in, if she was going to Montreal North, with the two men still on the sidewalk. The lady had a strong Italian accent and the two men looked like our typical Italian neighbours.
RépondreSupprimerShe took them along, they were going about a block away from our place. On the way one of the men commented: "Madame tu conduis comme un homme". To this day my wife is flattered whenever she recalls that episode. Coming from an Italian, it was the most exquisite and sincere compliment she had ever recieved.
This sounds a bit archaic Paul. Italians don't think only men can drive. One thing are the Italians chez vous, and another thing the Italians chez nous. And there are at least 30-40 different types of Italians chez nous. Maybe more. But we have discussed this topic ad nauseam over at my blog.
RépondreSupprimerAlthough j'espère I have some archaic traits too, or the Man of Roma’s blog would be that of an impostor :-)
RépondreSupprimerThe event I related took place in 1971, almost 40 years ago. Most of our neighbours were from Bari (one family) or were Calabrese or Abbruzzese. Fun loving they were forever into wine making and drinking. Most were road construction workers or ciment finishers. And the aromas coming out of those kitchens was enough to make you fat.
RépondreSupprimerLa neige — à tout la monde (ici — le canada).
RépondreSupprimerBeaucoup des problems.
Oui Rob-bear, de la neige pour tout le monde au Canada et nos provinces de l'ouest, jusqu'ici, en ont eu beaucoup plus que nous au Québec...et beaucoup plus froid aussi.
RépondreSupprimerLe printemps s'en vient...plus que 4 mois.
I remember snow like this when I was growing up in Minneapolis. It was fun, it was deep, and deeper, but it seemed like it was a pleasant, usually, part of life. Even the blizzards seemed pretty cool as they rattled our windows, and made howling sounds.
RépondreSupprimerSame memories from when I was a kid in a small town. Nowadays the inconveniences make it seem less fun in a large town.
RépondreSupprimerAnd I can not shovel anymore.
It seems as if there are far more things that have to be done RIGHT NOW than there were when I was younger, somewhere between Zeus and you, Paul. It takes all the focus off the beauty of the break from routine, it is much more now about the inconvenience.
RépondreSupprimerOf course, as an adult, you worry more about the integrity of roofs, and that kind of thing.
We found out last year about that snow shoveling business. What was once a chore we could handle, became a near impossibility without a certain, critical amount of help from neighbors. It wasn't something we could do very well anymore. Arthritis, bad backs, and old bones have a way of altering one's perspectives. Still, snowfall, like rainfall, is so beautiful.
RépondreSupprimerIt is beautiful to look at snow or rain falling. It's even beautiful to look at all that white blanketing the ground...until you pay the snowremover's bill.
RépondreSupprimerMerry Christmas, my good friend.
RépondreSupprimer