Wow! What a
storm this is turning out to be. One long, continual frozen deluge of distinct,
tiny snowflakes amassing themselves like hills and mountains, melting into
valleys of slush and coalescing into flat plains of ice. Children all over New
England delight in the many days they have gotten to stay home, watching
cartoons and drinking hot cocoa, driving their parents mad. Here in Cambridge,
MA, we probably have it a bit easier than some of the surrounding cities. We
have a great crew of city workers pushing themselves day and night to make the
roadways safe for traffic. Of course, it’s never enough, with the snow that
just keeps coming and has us all feeling like Sisyphus at this point.
Thankfully,
I don’t have a car. I see people whose vehicles have been buried for weeks. I
see motorists stuck in the snow, or with no through way to get where they’re
going. I got a ride home last week that probably took longer than it would have
had I walked. But being a pedestrian is no easy matter these days, either. Many
residents and property owners have been doing a terrific job at clearing the
long expanse of the sidewalks, giving a wide enough berth for at least one
person to walk by, and in many places even a baby stroller or a grocery shopper
clutching two bags in each hand. When the way is not wide enough for two, many
good citizens are being kind enough to duck into a front yard, stairway or
inlet in the snow in order to let others pass by, especially for women,
children, the elderly and persons with disabilities. There are, of course,
others who are not so considerate. These conditions always seem to bring out
the best, and the worst, in people. But overall it seems the storm is brining
us closer together, even as it keeps us apart, by slowing transportation of all
means.
However,
although the sidewalk itself may be clear enough for walking, come the
crosswalk, you may likely encounter an impenetrable, un-scalable mountain of
white powder with a core of rock-hard ice. This is one area the city needs to
get moving on, and fast, as property owners do not seem wholly convinced of the
necessity (not to mention the possibility) of clearing them out. Undoubtedly,
it is a difficult task; the snow ploughs heap slush and snow from the road
right where we pedestrians wouldn’t want it. The real problem is, in recent
days we have taken to the street to walk, in many places finding it completely
unrealistic to use the sidewalks. As I walked through the middle of the road
yesterday morning, I considered the very real possibility that a truck or
snowplow might run me over.
Oh well, we
must get to work, if we can! Many employers cannot afford to pay their
employees to stay home, even if their places of business are shut down for the
day. Not everyone in Cambridge is living the bio-tech dream, or making millions
in software engineering. People have bills to pay. And people need to eat. The
grocery stores, for the most part, have been doing a terrific job in staying
open. Places like 7-11 have done even better, keeping their doors open 24/7
through the harshest storm. But the snow is impacting deliveries as well, and
many stores are left with empty shelves and desperate customers. I have been
thinking of one older woman who I have always seen rolling her wheelchair
through the street in Inman Square since I moved here two years ago; in this
weather there could have been no way she could have gotten around. I only pray
she had enough food, or a friend, neighbor or relative to help her out. These
are harsh times, and we are all reminded of our vulnerability as human beings;
but some are hit harder than others. As the immortal reggae legend Peter Tosh
sang, “Only the poor man feels it.”
But just
remember: only six more weeks ‘til Spring!
….of
course, there will still be snow on the ground in April.
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