The Mid-Atlantic was hit by quite the winter storm this past weekend. I am one of the residents of the area that got to tighten up my shoveling skills while engaging in an exercise of futility. I also happen to be one of the residents who chose better sense and stayed off the roads for the weekend, even though I have four wheel drive on my Bronco. The lure of Super Saturday Savings were not enough to make me risk life and limb to get that tea kettle that was half off for my grandmother. To me, this train of thought is purely logic at work.

At least 4,000 people, who were in accidents or called the police because they were stranded on the side of the road, did not have the same thought process. 4,000…and that is just the number of people who called 911. Who knows how many skidded off road and called a friend, or walked away hoping they’d be able to get a tow company to take care of it for them.

I’ve lived in the Mid-Atlantic for quite some time. Have we not figured out (1) how to drive in precipitation, and (2) when it’s ill-advised to drive in precipitation? Counties should not have to declare a State of Emergency to convey the severity of conditions because too many are acting with no regard for the public’s safety, much less their own.

There is two feet of snow. The Winter Storm Warning turned into a Blizzard Warning. It is the weekend. Everything is more or less closed. Hmmm, maybe I should not further clutter the roads or hamper clean up efforts. If nothing else, use this unexpected snowfall as an excuse to drink hot chocolate, eat cookies, and have a PS3 marathon for the weekend.

I actually had a neighbor almost hit my truck, not once, but twice. He did not have four wheel drive and spent a good 20 minutes getting out of his parking space and around the cul-de-sac. He was sliding on the ice and snow, narrowly missing my truck as he passed my home. He hit the main road, found it was not sufficiently plowed, and backed up the half mile or so that my street is, in reverse, almost hitting my truck….again. I asked him where he has intended to go (in a nice neighborly manner of course). His response: the mall. What good is a new power saw from Sears if it ends up mangled in a car wreck?

The clean up continues, the schools have been closed all week giving the children a two week winter break they are in love with, I have to buy some more Swiss Miss, and I’ve made it through my first franchise season in Madden 2010. It’s been a productive week!