After five consecutive weekends of snow totaling 100 inches in Boston, I'm at the end of my rope. Remember Jack Torrance in The Shining? He went mad and tried to kill his family because of snow. The haunted hotel may have had a little something to do with it, but everyone in Boston now knows from personal experience that it was really the snow.
Roads are all lined with 8-foot snowbanks, so once charmingly narrow two-lane roads are now one lane. They are still theoretically two-way, so every encounter with a car coming the opposite direction is a game of chicken. Am I going to pull into a driveway or are you? Can we find a spot just barely wide enough to pass each other v e r y slowly? And who is the moron who actually parked their car on the street?
I've taken to gunning it whenever the road I'm driving on is clear of other cars. Maybe I can get to the end of the block before someone else pulls onto the street.
My response to claustrosnowbia has been to bake. Winter came late to Boston this year, so the first big storm was magical. The kids had a day off from school, the meeting I didn't want to go to anyway was cancelled, and I made a hot breakfast for my kids plus a treat later in the day. Cinnamon swirl bread. We had friends over, went sledding together, and drank hot chocolate as we warmed up afterwards.
Now, six days and one February break later, there have been chocolate croissants, hot cross buns, German apple pancakes, filled pancakes, chocolate chip cookies, black and white cookies, peppermint meringue kisses, Rice Krispie treats with Oreos, and oatmeal cookies with dried cherries, pecans, and chocolate chunks.
And I have gained six pounds.
The baking was clearly an epic fail, but the snow is going nowhere, probably until April. I wish I were kidding but I'm not. I need another solution.
On the plus side, I've discovered a new podcast: Criminal. The episodes are short and engaging, if a little heavy. Like Serial, there are not many answers and happy endings, but there are a lot of really good questions.
What's keeping you sane this week?
What's keeping you sane this week?
I think you might have baked more than me! I wish we were still M. High neighbors and I would have helped you eat some of those things (especially the chocolate croissants)!
ReplyDeleteYou have such an interesting blog. Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed reading your posts. All the best for your future blogging journey.
ReplyDeleteThanks! You too!
DeleteWhat is snow? Each time I look out my window, it is 72 and sunny.
ReplyDeleteOf course, to quote Woody Allen, I also live in a place whose only cultural advantage is to turn right on a red light.
Teaching my classes and doing mindful meditations have been keeping me sane this week.