Christmas Blizzard

Every time around Christmas we hope for a white Christmas. How did that become a traditional wish for Christmas, anyway? Anyone know?

Well, we got a white Christmas this year all right! And, of course, where am I? In beautiful sunny Southern California with my mom!

And, boy, was the storm a doozy! Here in Taos I'm told we got about two feet of snow (Ski Valley over four feet). All traffic in and out of Taos was shut down, so our grocery store shelves became frighteningly bare. Even mail was not brought in or out of town! (what happened to that old saying of "Neither wind nor rain nor sleet nor snow..."?). UPS delivered yesterday a box I was expecting at LEAST a week and a half before Christmas -- and obviously it had gone through a lot before it arrived on my doorstep.

So here I was sitting by the pool in sunny SoCal, talking on the phone to my friends in Taos who were telling me about all the snow. Even my petsitter called one day saying he wasn't sure he could get out his driveway to go feed my animals.

But the one phone call I really remember getting -- or my son getting -- was from a friend of his. This friend lives in Trinidad, Colorado. Trinidad is just over the border from us and on the east side of the mountains. This friend is about 50, a diabetic, and just had heart surgery last year. He's a real sweetheart, and a great gold-prospector-friend of my son. Well, he called "just to pass the time" because he was in his 4-wheel drive truck stuck in a snow bank on the side of a dirt road! And he'd been in his truck for over 15 hours! He said he only had less than an eighth of a tank of gas left -- he had been running the heater. Yes, he had snacks; yes he had called the police; yes, the National Guard was trying to get to him; yes, the State Police was trying to get to him -- all of this in answer to our rapid-fire questions about his welfare. But NO to him getting out of the truck and walking home in waist-deep snow! He was a ways from home, but being a diabetic and already having had foot problems, he wouldn't be able to feel his feet if they got too cold.

Needless to say, my son was ready to jump into our truck and drive to get his friend out (crossed my mind, too!). I gently reminded my son that it was a 20-hour drive, and by the time we would get there his friend would have been rescued by then (or it would be too late, which I didn't say to my son).

Now you have to know about my son -- he's really remarkable when it comes to vehicles. He can keep vehicles running when they should have been taken to the dump. And where someone else failed getting someone's vehicle unstuck, my son more than likely would have succeeded.

And my son already had an instant plan -- go to the Halliburton yard and get the "Grizzly". Now, if you know what a "Grizzly" is, you'd know my son was right on about using the "Grizzly" to get his friend out. It's this absolutely humongous truck (bigger than a big-rig) with humongous tires and weighs a zillion tons. That thing can go ANYwhere! And, of course, it was made to go anywhere (drilling wells in remote spots).

But... he was 20 hours away, and no planes were flying in and out of Colorado and Northern New Mexico. And we couldn't think of any way to get him there to rescue his friend. So we had to sit and wait and pray.

And wait and wait -- and WAIT. Finally, we got a call -- his friend was at home and just fine! WHEW! He considered it a sort of "adventure" -- no big deal. Oh, bother! These prospector types who thrive on adventure! ::sigh:: Frankly, I can do without that kind of "adventure"!

So today as I look out into our yard and watch yet more snow falling, I'm reminded how this beautiful, soft and quiet stuff has the potential to become quite deadly.

So to everyone who lives in snow country -- please be careful when venturing out!