Bah. As much as I like seasonal changes, I despise winter driving.
To be more specific, I hate road conditions that involve ice, freezing rain, or sleet.
And, part of the problem is that that's what I've been looking at since mid-afternoon on Saturday. We tried to go to my grandson's 15th birthday celebration and got no further than a half-mile from home when I decided not only was the road too slick, but the ice was building up on the windshield faster than the wipers could clear it. A slight detour to the grocery for something to fix for dinner and then home to avoid any further white knuckle driving.
The cruddy stuff had stopped overnight, so Robert was able to get to work, but by the time he got home, it was misting and freezing once again.
And still is.
What disturbs the hell out of me is driving to work at 3:30 a.m. in road conditions that absolutely suck. I've almost ended up in the ditch more than once - and some pretty steep and deep ditches to boot. I'm glad the Jeep comes equipped with roll bars, but I really don't care to test them out!
I'm inclined to call in to work when road conditions are bad; I'm especially inclined to do so when the highway patrol reports say "travel not recommended". But, employers have this thing - they expect you to show up on time whether or not it's safe for you to get there. I always wonder if they want me to show up bleeding, broken, and/or dead?
It truly amazes me that there are actually employees who will have packed a bag and gone into the hospital tonight and will sleep in chairs in hallways, find a bathroom to spiff up in before their shift just so they can be to work *on time*. And, will make hotel reservations just in case they can't return home after their shifts tomorrow.
But then, I'm one of those silly people who tries really hard not to define my total life as what I do for a living.
What do those of you who drive in challenging winter conditions do?
3 comments:
Kate, you life isn't worth your job.
We had freezing rain and sleet that caused my family to miss Thanksgiving with Flo and the rest of the family, some of which we only see once a year at Thanksgiving.
I have an apt. I desperately need to go to this morning, but last night it started sleeting and freezing rain so I'll just stay home.
My advice is for you to stay home to.
Growing up in the frozen north, I can completely understand. Snow usually isn't too bad for driving, but when everything freezes up it gets scary.
If the roads are too bad, I don't go. Plain and simple. There isn't a job out there worth losing your life over.
Nope, a job isn't worth anyone's life and/or even injury.
Stay home Kate, if they don't like it tough beans! Besides you wouldn't do them any good if you did show up but on a stretcher. You'd only make more work for those brown-nosers that stayed overnight there. ;-)
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