Snow daze and wedding bells

I've been wanting to write a few things the last week or so, but the road to Hell being paved with ice and blowing snow, I've had to wait.

Lake effect

We got dumped on last Thursday with about 16-18 inches of lake effect snow. It all came in about a 12-hour period. I went out about 7 a.m. to shovel the 6-8 inches off the driveway and get Jayne's car ready for her to head to work and get the kids to school (yes, they still had class!).

After the initial clearing, I went inside to thaw, eat and shower. When I went out again about 12:30 p.m., we had another 6-8 inches of snow, and it was still pouring down.

Driveway blues

The hardest part of the shoveling is the end of the driveway. We live on a state road. The Michigan Department of Transportation works under a "bare pavement" policy, that is, the plows want to get the roads completely clean. (Allegan County, to compare, just has a "passable" policy, meaning the county roads will still have ice and snow on them as long as people can struggle through the mess). So, boiled down, the end of my driveway had a foot-and-a-half of packed snow and ice and I had rubber bands for arms.

I couldn't clear it all out, but figured that, like Allegan County, it was passable if you gunned the engine and hit it fast. Jayne helped and cleared some that night again so I could get in the driveway after my night shift. Good thing the Corsica was fixed up to handle this.

It all also meant I spent a chunk of Sunday time clearing the melting slush away. Though the temperatures topped 40 degrees Sunday, and will be above freezing for days, I still had to scrape the driveway of dangerous clumps of snow and ice. I finally got the front walk to a safe state.

Much of my extra time and energy was put into snow removal and ice chipping.

Happy event

Among all the snow drifts and ice patches, Jayne and I attended a friends' wedding Friday night in Saugatuck.

Krista and Alan met at The Sentinel and decided to get married at All Saints Episcopal Church in Saugatuck. The church is perfect for a holiday time wedding. It was built in the 1870s with high arcing wood ceilings and cozy pews.

I always cry during weddings (when don't I cry, right?), but this a special kind of tears. I was touched by the love and emotion of the ceremony. I figure that I see these people in some of the most stressful work environments possible -- deadline on a daily paper. In the daily stress of typos, spelling errors, grammar screwups, photo problems and computer glitches, we sometimes forget what's important in life. The wedding was a great reminder that there are many things bigger than our daily grind.

After the ceremony, we attended the reception at the AlpenRose in Holland. Great vegetarian meal and good conversation with friends.

I'm grateful I was asked to share in the special event. It was one of those rare life-affirming times among the destructive world we live in.

Thought: Thanks Alan and Krista for sharing.