Officially, winter begins with the sun crossing an arbitrary line on the globe. However, here in Canada, winter begins whenever people think it does. They seem to think that winter is when there is snow ... and this morning we have plenty of that. Not much else has changed. We still have a prime minister who wants us to believe that he is as innocent as Dick Nixon wanted us to believe he had been. We still have that mayor in that other town who likes to get drunk, and maybe do some drugs, but doesn't have an addiction problem. I am still injured & not running. But we have plenty of snow. And so all the social media noise will be about winter ....
If you are suffering from a massive inundation of snow, please exercise caution. This (at least here in Ottawa) is the kind of snow that causes heart attacks. Not to mention that no matter how long you have been driving in the stuff ... many people forget that it adversely affects the road conditions. Be careful out there, but also be proactive. Clear ALL the snow from your vehicle before you drive it REPEAT: ALL THE SNOW!!!!! Use snow tires; yes I know that someone sold you on All-Season tires but you bought into a lie. Now go buy snow tires and have them installed ... keep your other tires for after the snow melts again. Ensure your vehicle is in good working order ... ALL Lights, windshield wipers & fluid & pump ... Brakes!!!! And when all that is good to go, before you head out on the road, put some extra gear into the trunk.
- blanket (Mylar race blankets are good for this too)
- a shovel
- sand & salt or Ice Melter
- first aid kit (throw in some hand warmers )
- A towel (not the one that you keep with your toothbrush & hitchhikers guide)
- a snow brush
- a quality Ice Scraper
- one plastic tarp (you can use it to cover your windshield in a freezing rain but you should have a dry extra one in the trunk)
- flares & reflective road triangles (flares can be dangerous around vehicle accidents - use them only if absolutely necessary)
- a cell phone (with car charging adapter) ... it does not have to have a plan to dial 911
- food that will not spoil that can be eaten instantly and will give a person nutrition
- a bible or book of your choosing
- a flash light
Now you may think that is a lot of stuff, but I left off many things that I would suggest if you lived outside of a metropolitan area. Some of this stuff may just save a life ...