Snow Update and. Skateboard Mural

Yesterday I wrote about the snowstorm which produced much less snow than predicted. It turned into icy rain, producing three inches of ice on top of five inches of fresh snow. I could have shoveled the snow, but the hard layer of ice was more than I could remove.

I thought I was prepared because I had contacted the man who usually cuts my grass and clears snow if I need it. Well, late this morning I got a text from him saying that his truck had broken down so he couldn’t come until he got it fixed. By mid-afternoon, I was getting concerned because that ice was getting harder in the frigid temperatures.

I heard a truck and looked out to see if it was Lawrence, but it was a man who tromped through the snow to a neighbor’s door to see if she wanted her driveway cleared. She had already arranged for someone else to do it. He saw me watching him from my porch and asked if I wanted my driveway cleared. His price seemed reasonable, considering that there was ice to cut through, so I told him to please go ahead.

He did not use a plow or snowblower, but cleared the driveway with a shovel. It took over an hour because ice is heavy and has to be chopped with the edge of the shovel before it’s lifted. The plow zone along the street was the worst part, where the town’s machines had piled snow in now-frozen ridges.

I was glad to get the driveway cleared but I did not attempt to drive anywhere. The main streets in town were okay by then, but could easily get icy patches as the sun got low in the sky. I remember living in the mountains just west of here and how the roads would get icy around 4 o’clock in the afternoon. 

Okay, I have a mural for you. I took photos of it last week in Strasburg. This is the half wall at the parking lot of a skateboard shop.

The shop is named Yobbo’s, and they sell skateboarding equipment and clothing, plus bicycles and guitars. The skateboards are popular because Strasburg now has a skateboarding park.

This same wall was previously painted with flowers and a picture of a ram, which is the town high school’s team symbol. The store used to be a flower shop. 

Mosaic Monday / Murals