Walking (and driving, and slipping, and sliding) in a winter wonderland

Well folks, winter is here, and we've discovered that although the city plows our block because it's a steep hill, and they plow the main roads through town, they do not plow the eight blocks of increasingly sloped streets in between. The end result is that, in some conditions, my 2-WD minivan can make it down the hill to get out of the neighborhood, but not back up home! Actually, we've been impressed at the Traction Control System the car has, which helps to prevent wheel spin, but it's still no match for the packed snow/slush/ice that accumulates on the hill just a block down from our house. Jason's car has 4-WD, but we can't fit all three kids in it.

Yesterday morning Jason left on a business trip to Minneapolis, taking his car with him. And there's lots of snow on the ground. Our new part-time nanny, Mindy, had to park five blocks away and walk up because she couldn't drive up. So I had to keep Logan home from school because I wasn't sure I'd be able to get home. Later in the day I took Max out to his 2-month check up (which went very well), thinking I'd stop and get winter tires on my car on the way home. I'd talked to several people who said that would solve the problem and be a lot safer for us driving any way (and a lot cheaper than buying a new car with AWD). Well, apparently I wasn't the only person in Boulder who realized they needed winter tires - I visited three shops and all were absolutely overflowing with customers. So the soonest I will be getting my tires will be Friday. I just have to hope that the snow predicted for then won't be too bad until after I get the tires.

Incidentally, I did make it home yesterday, but not without some nail-biting moments. This morning I will make the attempt to get Logan to school, and I guess I'll be doing some xmas shopping with Zach and Max until the day warms up if the hill's too slippery.