Yeah, I know. Unless you are a huge fan of outdoor winter sports, the very last thing a Minnesotan does is pray for snow. Under normal conditions, most of us are praying for it to just please go away.
But.....these are not normal conditions.
In the fall of the year the city street maintenance crews are busy. Over the summer cracks have appeared in the streets. If left unattended, water will get into these cracks, freeze, expand and we will have potholes the size of Connecticut by the time spring arrives. I completely understand why the cracks in the streets can not go unattended.
Before these cracks can be filled in, the crews use a machine to cut the asphalt and enlarge the cracks to about 3 inches across. According to one of the crew I was chatting with yesterday, this process makes it possible to completely fill in each crack, which they couldn't do if they didn't enlarge them.
The machine they use for this job is LOUD. Think chalk dragged across a chalkboard. Times 5. All day. 7 AM to 6 PM. Did I mention it was LOUD?
The sound defies closed windows. It can be clearly heard over my music. I have no ear plugs. Cotton and balled up Kleenex fall out of my ears. There is no escape.
Today is day number three of the work on the street in front of my building. The only thing I know for sure is that the crews never do this kind of work in the winter.
So Dear Lord, it's about that snow.....
Opus 2024-395: Built, Not Chosen
8 hours ago
LOL - Have you tried ear plugs - or loud music to drown out the noise...?
ReplyDeleteDani...Nope. No ear plugs. Tried the music. No go. With any kind of luck they will finish in another day or so. Ah, the joys of city living!! :)
ReplyDeleteRiding the streets in Indiana, I used to say "Dammit! Can't even drink a can of Coke!!" because the craters in the asphalt would cause the liquid to jump out of the can and splatter my shirt. At least down here, the streets are free of craters and lumps of built up asphalt. That was THE FIRST THING I noticed.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been able to locate a pothole here....lol. Duane
ReplyDeleteDana...I know what you are talking about! Around here people are in danger of losing their cars in potholes come spring. Another of the wonders of northern life. [grin]
ReplyDeleteDuane...Son, you need not mention your sunny pothole free climate when I have had to break out the flannel shirts this week! Especially when I haven't had my afternoon nap for a couple of days due to the noise! On the bright side, your brother brought me a box of Dilly Bars yesterday. So it isn't all bad!!
ReplyDeleteLove, Mom
Mom, A Dilly bar is always good. Love you too.
ReplyDeleteDuane...The Dilly Bars came with a string attached. David made me promise to eat only one a day. I discovered that a Dilly Bar makes a really good breakfast!
ReplyDeleteLove, Mom
What did you say I can't hear you in Cokato its too loud out there. LOL. Please DON'T ASK FOR SNOW EARLY!! evil grin.
ReplyDeleteGrandpa would be proud.
ReplyDeleteRob...OK. I'll stop praying for snow. I thought for a while they might get rained out, but the rain went to the south of here. Drat! I am seriously considering sneaking out and cutting the cables to their machine, though. The only thing stopping me is the lack of bail money!
ReplyDeleteDuane, you are right. Grandpa would have loved the idea of a Dilly Bar breakfast! lol
ReplyDeleteThat would be really annoying. I am lucky, every once in a great while a bulldozer will come along the dirt road down at the foot of the mountain and scrape it smooth, but that's it.
ReplyDeleteHarry...It is annoying, but there is no point in getting mad. The crew has a job to do and they are just doing it. I know a couple of the guys who are out there working. I was out harassing them yesterday about interrupting my nap schedule. :) I think I can put up with the noise for a while, knowing that the ones making it are working to take care of their families rather than standing in a welfare line with their hands out. Makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteNow that is one thing I can't relate to...I like in the country on a farm! No potholes, just slippery mud right now. It's like driving on chocolate pudding!
ReplyDeleteHope they are done soon and peace will return!
Forgot to tell you how yummy your apples looked in the last post. A lot of the apple orchards down here froze out with a late Spring freeze. Good apples are hard to come by and no peaches or pears. sigh!
Take care...blessings!
CottonLady...I lucked out. We got a little bit of rain this afternoon. It was just enough for the crew to call it a day. I don't think it will be much longer before they are finished.
ReplyDeleteI remember muddy country roads. I'm not sure which was worse - slipping and sliding on the mud in the spring or the ice in the winter. :)
The apples are really good. Eight pints are in the canner now and another maybe five or six waiting to be jarred up and canned. Doesn't seem to be any shortage of apples this year. I still have lots of peaches and pears from last year, but I need to get my hands on more apples. I'm out of applesauce and that's not a good thing!
I pray for snow as it helps pay for your granddaughters dance!
ReplyDeletePlus, I love to snowmobile and ice fish.
David
David...I like snow, too. As long as it is outside and I am inside. But I will pray for snow so your crews can plow it and so you have work and so my granddaughters can dance! Besides, I think those kids of yours have a lot fun on the snomobile and ice fishing as well. Guess it is worth it for that!
ReplyDeleteLove, Mom
I'm hoping for snow too over here. I was watching the weather last night on the news, or rather, on Dan Rather or was it Derek Jeter? I don't know my newspeople. Anyway, they were talking about this "blob" of warm water that was going to affect us this winter. And I was thinking oh crap, this means no snow again?! We haven't had a good snow in a couple years now. Boo!
ReplyDeletefurrybottoms...Snow was they only way I could think of to get rid of the noisy street workers in front of my building, in a joking sort of way. Truth be known, I am not a fan of winter. Snow sports are a big deal here, but I would rather spend the winter where it is cozy and warm!
ReplyDelete