Snowed (& Iced) In

So for all the ranting I did yesterday about employees whining about the snow, here I am today stranded at home. We had several hours of freezing rain (sleet, really) yesterday, followed by snow throughout the night. There is literally two inches of ice in my yard buried under several inches of snow.

I got up this morning at 4:00 am to assess the situation and the likelihood of making the 85 mile trip to work. The local State Police posts (near home and where I work) both advised me against driving. One cautioned that two major state highways (one on my normal route to work and one on my alternate route) could be clear in spots and have snow drifts of two feet in other spots.

After calling and waking one of my Assistant Managers before 4:30 am to see if he was going to be able to get to work, I hit the icy streets.

I drove for 45 minutes -- which is usually almost half my travel time -- and still hadn't made it out of town. 30 miles per hour was the fastest I dared to drive, and even that was pushing my luck. When I started to slide on a major US highway, I decided that it would be both futile and foolish to continue on. Rather than make what would have been a four-hour trip if successful, and a nasty wreck if not, I returned home.

After a quick voicemail and email to my District Manager to report my stranded status, and a couple of quick calls with my Assistants about the status of the store, I've spent a rather pleasant Valentines Day at home with my family.

Joe