Well this has been a snow show.
The storm of December 2019, striking just days before Christmas, will long be remembered by those who shovelled through it.
More than two feet of heavy snow covered Princeton and area over the course of two days.
Highway 3 was closed, Tulameen and Coalmont were cut off - as were a handful of residents at Missezula Lake and others in the rural areas. Naturally everyone wanted to get to Save On before the pies were gone.
Related: https://www.similkameenspotlight.com/news/tulameen-b-c-isolated-for-days-after-snow-storm/
There were cars stuck on many streets, others couldn’t make it out of their lane ways and those that could found driving to be a worse challenge than on a summer long weekend.
What made it all bearable, of course, was the whinging and moaning on social media about snow removal.
Why has no one been past my house?
The plow just came by and piled in my driveway. (This, by the way, has been happening in Canada since the invention of snow. Get used to it.)
Why isn’t the snow cleared from the centre of Bridge Street?
Town hall and local politicians received complaints by phone.
Snowflakes, snowflakes - we live in the middle of the mountains and it’s wintertime.
There are only so many machines and so many bodies to operate them. Municipal employees worked long hours and did a good job in a relatively short period of time.
Maybe they weren’t on your street the very first day. But they were likely busy making sure routes to the hospital were passable.
The regional roads, which have been problematic under the new contractor AIM, fall under a slightly category. They don’t have enough equipment but those employees (former Argo employees) nearly worked around the clock.
Related: AIM Roads apologizes ‘deeply’ for missed roads in Vernon area
When did everyone get so precious?
There were lots of things that could and were done to help in the community. That came from neighbours, people with 4 x 4s and snow blowers and quads and even shovels.
One local man bought lunches and dinners at A and W for locked in truckers. Others jumped out of their cars and helped push stranded motorists on their way.
When life gives you lemons you make lemonade.
When it gives you snow…you get out and deal with it.
Just don’t melt when you go back inside and get on Facebook.
-The Similkameen Spotlight