The New Roark Times

What began as a typical day didn't turn out the way that I had planned. I didn't exactly anticipate that there would be challenge for the day. But there was. After completely shredding a tire, I wound up at Burton's Service Station where, thankfully, they were able to help procure the proper sized tire and get me rolling again. If you're ever in town, I highly recommend that you stop by for a fill-up or even a tune-up, because they're always awesome and always kind!   Despite the challenges of the day, I managed to check off a whole list of errands anyway. I also learned some things that I am still trying to process. I am not sure what it is about reading and comprehending massive amounts of information, but it sure does make one voraciously hungry for a good hearty soup. With no mammalian meat.  You might wonder why I would say it that way. Normally, I wouldn't ever use the phrase, "mammalian meat." I don't think that I have ever uttered the word ...

6:30 PM When it became apparent that we would run out of milk within the day, I started to think about peeling the ice off my car so that I could leave and drive to the grocery store. I had been watching the progress of the traffic on the nearby road, which was clear enough to allow for cars traveling both directions. The ice breaking under the snow plow as it traveled down the side road today was a loud and continuous crunch that lasted a few minutes until it was beyond earshot, the dump truck making its way slowly down the neighborhood road. I dreaded going out there. Dressing in layers and pulling my winter boots, gloves, and hat on, I made my way slowly to the car. Everything was a solid sheet of ice. The snow made it look deceptive--but there it was, nonetheless, a few inches of snow completely encased in solid ice above and below. I hoped that I wouldn't have to struggle to get the car door open. Luckily, the door opened right up and, once I had it started and the defrost goi...

The weather wasn't supposed to set in until 2 PM that Sunday, but it was 1:40 and already the snow was coming down fast enough to cover the roads. It had come to my attention that someone in our community was already out of water, their pipes having already frozen (this is why they tell you to leave the faucet dripping). We were on our way to deliver a five gallon jug and a grocery bag full of bottled water to them when we came upon traffic backed up by what must have been a wreck ahead, hidden beyond the curve of the road. Luckily our turn was coming up before we reached the traffic, and the road that we turned down looked as if it had been freshly cleared and salted. As we went along, the road's surface was being covered with snow as quickly as the windshield in front of my eyes, where I had the wipers at a good steady pace. A task that, in normal conditions, only took a few minutes, dropping off the water turned into quite the fiasco. During the return trip, the road was alr...