Single Digit Valentine's

My house sits down at the bottom of a hill next to a busy vein that runs from Franklin Avenue to Park Lake Drive. The 25th Street Corridor in perhaps about 3 miles or so. I live three blocks from where it begins. At the 3rd block is a decent to a 500 year flood plane. It is the second light on this mostly one way trip. Only the last mile is two way.

All Valentine's Day and President's Day I would scurry from one end of my porch railing to the other watching the cars and trucks either make it up the hill from where my house sits to the next block named Columbus Avenue. From Washington Avenue, the block I am situated to Columbus Avenue is the upside of the incline from the flood plane. Franklin Avenue to Austin Avenue is the downhill portion where many vehicles increase speed in an attempt to make the Austin and Washington stop lights. So, here in lies the problems. It is iced and snowed over and the tempuratures are in the teens.

As the vehicles choose between speed and caution and a very steep climb, the outcomes for most vehicles that were not four wheel or rear wheel drive, were not good. So, all day I would see cars or trucks with front wheel drive only have to choose between backing up or spinning their tires to death. Some parked and awaited rescue. A few found rescue from 4x4 trucks towing them to safety. A few had skinny young adults dressed in hoodies and leggings or jeans attempting to push vehicles out of spins, usually resulting in butts and bare hands hitting the slushy and frozen snow and ice.

I just marveled at how thoroughly unprepared this young folk were. For days all have been warned to only go out if necessary. For days all were warned about the freezing temps and fridge winds. The sun shining brightly is a wicked mistress to these adult children. I imagine today there are a number of cases of frost bite to varying degrees and 20 somethingers wondering what the hell has happened to their toes and/or fingers.