First Real Snowfall This Year

The world shifted from autumn to winter overnight,

but Otis didn't care. He had an apple to play with and snow to discover--this is his first experience of it, and I think we can say he liked it!

Not really much to look at but my goodness did it cause problems. The snow wasn't the issue--it was the black ice that caught everyone by surprise.

A regular traffic jam on Joe's Run--three vehicles in a row. I waited for them to clear the curve before I went through. The bus traveled slowly and when I was happy to take my cue from him. When we got to the highway I understood why. I got to try out my all-wheel drive and was glad to have it.

Truckers were taking it easy too. The one in front of me kept squirreling off to one side or the other in the ice. I kept a good distance between us, just in case, you know (we were stopped when I snapped this photo). I didn't have my boots with me for mucking about in the slush. The truck to the left is actually stuck. He needed to turn but the road was nothing but ice and he couldn't move.

My usual one-hour commute to work turned into 2 hours of slow, careful driving interspersed by glimpses of smashed vehicles on the side of the road. Certainly a good way to keep a person awake. Fortunately, it did not appear that anyone was hurt in the wrecks I saw.