The Teeth of Winter

The Weather Channel predicted an inch of snow today with a Winter Weather Advisory until 7 p.m. because it was going to rain after the snow finished. Not a big deal.

But the wet snow I saw through my window at 6:45 a.m. seemed steady, and there was already a fair amount on the ground. So I wore jeans and pulled out the waterproof winter coat and gear to complement my commuting shoes of choice between November and March: heavy snow boots.

I trudged to the bus stop and watched all the silly drivers creeping toward the nearby major intersection. On days like this, I'll gladly take standing out in the cold and wet over being behind the wheel. Plus, I usually wait three to five minutes for the bus. Even if the bus is running behind or slightly ahead, I can time it just right.

You see the bus has to go past my house on the way to my house. It turns around about two blocks north of our place to begin the inbound trip. When I see the bus go past from my kitchen window, I know I have about 10 minutes before it will be at my stop.

This morning would be different. After 10 minutes of waiting, I wasn't too concerned because of the aformentioned traffic. But the minutes continued to tick by, and morning commuters I had never seen began to appear at "my" stop. A young woman with a Russian accent asked me how long I'd been waiting. I guess she was slightly alarmed by the amount of snow that had accumulated on top of my hood and in my shopping bag. I was carrying an small open shopping bag to transport my work boots. These are usually at the office (Many women here in Winterland wear comfortable shoes/boots for the wet/salty/muddy winter commute and keep nice shoes at work), but I needed them this weekend. Unfortunate.

Thirty minutes after arriving at the bus stop, I was contemplating calling it a day. But then a woman came striding up the sidewalk and addressed the assembled commuters. She proceeded to tell us that the bus was stuck on the turnaround street because it was iced over. It had been trying to turn for 25 minutes or so. She had been on it. She also had lost the front four teeth of her bottom row. But man was she cheerful considering the circumstances. She chattered all the way down the street while we walked to where a different bus route runs. So I guess we all eventually got to work. Thanks, tooth fairy.