We may not have the Snowmaggedon of the East Coast today, but Chicago is hunkering down for a foot or more of snow today and tomorrow. No biggie–this city’s been prepared for heavy weather since the late 70s when a certain mayoral candidate lost the race because he couldn’t get the streets cleared. Chicagoland has had trucks out since 2 a.m. this morning, and a 45-minute drive took me all of an hour and 15 minutes, even with the snow falling heavily.
Of course, I’ve got all-wheel-drive on my 1998 Chrysler Town and Country van, so I feel safe. And happy that I didn’t buy that new Prius last year when gas prices were so high. I also have a Toyota Corolla and have found lots of little design flaws in it, which seem to predict some of the issues in today’s Toyota problems. The Corolla is also a 1998, and by 1999, the driver side floor mat rumpled and caught under the pedals. The mat had been hooked to the floor by a single small metal pin that broke within a few months of purchase. Uh, this is for a car that’s going to last me 10 years? I ignored the broken pin, since it seemed more of a design flaw to me than something that would be repaired and stay that way. The loose bottom half of the pin still rattles around under the floorboard.
Hmmm. Well, it may not be eco-friendly, but I’m sure glad I have my snow-driving van today. And a pair of snowshoes, packed along “just in case”.