Snowed in

Today I had an ambitious plan. I was going to the gym early - well, at 2 p.m. Wal-Mart was next, then home for a shower and later Bed, Bath & Beyond and Old Navy in Hamden. If I had time, I also intended to stop by the local DP Mart to pick up lottery tickets and tobacco for my dad.

It has been snowing a lot in this area. Thursday afternoon and night we got about a foot of snow in Torrington, and about 6-8 inches here in our town. Roads were cleared off Thursday night, and I only encountered some minor problems with our condo parking lot, where it took me 15 minutes to shovel out a spot before I could settle in for the night.

Saturday night into Sunday we got another 2 inches or so, the rest was sleet and freezing rain. I was out Sunday night, and the roads were OK. I came home and pulled into a parking spot that had been sort of cleared off.

All ready to go in sweat pants, sneakers and my ski coat, I assess the snow around my car this morning. Doesn't look too bad. A couple of inches around the tires and behind my car from what the snow plow pushed off the road. I grab the shovel - just in case.

I crawl into my front seat and start the car. I put it in reverse. It doesn't move. I try to go forward, the tires are just spinning and making whooshing sounds.

When I stick the shovel in the ground, I am met by solid ice. I try to kick it, hit it, scrape it and push it. I then try to move my car again. Nothing. Well, that's not entirely true. My car managed to slip about an inch to the left - sideways - and into more ice. Then nothing.

Since it was freezing out with a windchill that made it feel like -15 degrees Celsius and I had no hat on, I gave up. I picked up the last of the Christmas cards I had to mail and walked them over to the mailbox at the end of our road, then I went back inside and turned up the heat.

The rest of the day was spent under a warm blanket on the couch reading "Nobels testamente." I was snowed in - rather, iced in - and enjoying every minute of it.