OK, that was something to write home about.
Winter Storm Gerri arrived with a vengeance on Friday. Snow fell fast and furiously most of the day, and by the time it was all over, we ended up with a solid foot. It was so deep, it ate my ruler. If you’re keeping track, that’s 18″ of snow since Tuesday.
And, we woke up to -9º this morning. It’s going to struggle to reach zero the next few days. Hard to believe we were driving around on Christmas Eve with the windows open, grousing over the fact that it was 55º with nary a patch of snow to be found anywhere. I guess Old Man Winter is making up for lost time.
Don’t even get me started on the wind chills.
We’re doing just fine though. Tara’s employer once again let everyone work from home on Friday. The roads were a nightmare, and I would have worried my head off waiting for her to arrive home safely. At one point Friday night the lights flickered, and we were plunged into darkness.
“Oh, shit,” I groaned…and then they came back on. Whew! Other people around town weren’t so lucky; about 1,700 customers lost power for much of the night.
It took us a good two+ hours to take care of all the snow on Saturday morning. Yes, we have a heated driveway, but with so much snow, it probably would have taken three days to melt everything. The snow blower my parents gifted us a few years ago was much quicker and a helluva lot more efficient.
Before you say, I can’t believe you saddled your wife with this chore – ’cause I know how y’all are – we actually fought over who got to use it.
Even still, the snow was heavy and wet, making removal an onerous task. We were both achey and exhausted by the time we’d finished. Friday afternoon, while Gerri was still raging, no fewer than four neighbors were clearing their driveways mid-storm. I was questioning the wisdom of this – it seemed like unnecessary extra work – but upon further reflection, I think it’s smart. I’d rather use the snow blower a few times when it isn’t as deep, instead of once when you’re sinking in it up to your shins. Thoughts?
Our poor Amur maple, the one we decorated so nicely for Christmas, couldn’t bear the weight and a couple of large branches snapped off. Don’t worry; it’ll live to see another day. It’ll just be slightly less shapely.
So, it looks to be a bitterly cold week ahead. Our wood stove will be getting quite the workout. I am not looking forward to heading into the office tomorrow morning when it’s forecast to be -14º – especially when my dear wife has MLK Jr. Day off – but bitching about that won’t do a bit of good.
Enough about the snow and cold.
Last summer, my former boss at CenturyCo reached out to ask if I’d be willing to work on a few freelance writing projects. My replacement was on maternity leave and they figured, who knew the job better than me? So, I did a bunch of work for them, figuring it would be a one-off, but then she contacted me again a few weeks ago when their New Mom Writer resigned, opting to raise her kid instead. Good for her and good for me, because she sent me a list of assignments a mile long. It’s steady work through the end of February, and I’m certainly not going to turn down extra cash. I even raised my hourly rate the first of the year and CenturyCo didn’t flinch.
I’ll admit, these projects have me feeling all kinds of wistful. Quitting CenturyCo, a job I truly loved and figured I’d probably retire from someday, was far and away the toughest part aobut leaving South Dakota. It was the one thing that almost persuaded us to stay, but in the end, the allure of cheese was too strong. I’d have loved to work for the company as a remote employee, this being the 21st century and all, but they have a strict policy against that. I totally understand and never pushed the issue; leaving was my decision, and TobacCo made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Still, interviewing CenturyCo members and writing feature stories like I used to is an exercise in nostalgia for sure. Does a small part of me wish they’d see the light and amend their policy to allow for full-time remote employees? I’d be lying if I said no. It’ll never happen, but a guy can dream.
I think it’s pretty cool that CenturyCo is the fourth former employer of mine to hire me for freelance work after I left. That’s a pretty good ego boost, and a great reminder to never burn bridges.
Keep warm!
Mark My Words 
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