Rescued By Prince Charming

All of yesterday was set aside to edit because I’m doing the last few changes to Screwing Up Alexandria. But then, the weather looked suspicious. It was 9 am and snowflakes were in the air. Although the news said the snow wouldn’t start until 1pm, I decided I didn’t want my sons driving in the weather.  (I have seven years of New England driving experience, they don’t.)

So I drove. It should have been a quick twenty minutes round trip. But the snow accumulated quickly. Cars in the university parking lot were sliding. (And I decided that the university officials were insane for not cancelling classes.)

On the drive back home, I tried to get up a hill, but couldn’t get traction in the fine, dense snow. I did a “controlled” slide backwards down a hill. Eventually, I found a way around the hill.

The problem was the university is on one side of a ridge; our home is on the other. And there was no sand, salt, or slurry on the roads. My lightweight truck couldn’t make it. I did yet another slide. This one into a curb. But I wasn’t alone. Four wheel drive trucks and SUVs couldn’t make it up the icy incline.

My sons called and said that the university finally cancelled classes. I told them to call Dad because I was stuck. My husband got as close to the university as he could and the boys hiked out. Then, they drove as close to where I was as they could, parked, and hiked in.

Nothing is as beautiful a sight coming over a snowy hill than my Prince Charming with his two knights-in-shining armor. My shivering son Jacob offered me his gloves, which I politely declined—I had snow boots and a parka and he was wearing a thin jacket. They pushed my truck uphill (and rescued another stuck vehicle). We found a parking lot, parked the car, hiked the ridge and got home, four hours later.

Then I made decadent hot chocolate (recipe here), rested, and got back to editing—because that’s what writers do.

On the agenda for today, editing, hiking back to the cars, and making snow cream. (Recipe here.)

Yeah, I know only a few inches.
 But without snow equipment, the roads get dangerous quickly.

Editing with inspiration just out the window.