16 November 2011

Sixteen: Looming Ordeal

The weather forecast is calling for the temperature to actually go down to where it ought to be at this time of year, but also a chance of precipitation. That, my friends, translates into a chance of snow. A chance of snow at a time that the construction project at the end of my block remains incomplete.
All last winter it was the same story every time it snowed or warmed up: a dreadful obstacle to get past in order to get to the bus stop on my way to work. Our crazy Montréal sidewalk tanks zoom down the unobstructed parts of the sidewalks, clearing a lovely path on which to walk. Put an obstacle in their path, however, and the system crashes down around your ears.


A blocked sidewalk end combined with a car parked too close to the scene of that crime makes for a mountain of snow to navigate to get to the corner. Add a few degrees of temperature and you either have a vast field of slush or a large lake separating you from where you are and where you need to be.

The sidewalk seems destined to be blocked for a second consecutive year. I guess I'd better get hip waders with crampons for the daily ordeal.

2 comments:

Ken Monteith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ken Monteith said...

I forgot to include the Pollyanna sentiment: the construction is not entirely reprehensible because it also spells the end of the driveway slope on the sidewalk! Well, it will by the time they have finally repaired the sidewalk.