Another snowstorm has crippled most of Iowa temporarily. Many of us can't even get to work. Why do we stay here? What keeps us in Jefferson, or Iowa even?
It looks to me like almost everyone I know leaves Iowa as quickly as they can reasonably afford to. For most, that means when they retire.
Some of us are fortunate enough to get opportunities at a younger age. Virtually all of them leave.
Iowa does not offer four nice seasons. Rather, it offers a brief glimpse of different weather conditions, followed by extremely annoying inclement weather.
I like Iowa weather just fine. Nobody moves only for the purpose of being in a better climate. Those people are moving because there are greater opportunities elsewhere.
You want to talk about annoying? Talk about all these retired screwballs that don't go south. These are the people who are writing checks with a quill pen while you are waiting behind them with only 4 cases of Bud Light to buy with a swipe of a card. These are the people who wait at a stop sign till you honk your horn because they can't see any farther than the dashboard. Why do you think you can never get a booth at any Golden Corral? It's these guys! Talk about annoying! These are the people taking up valuable bar space nursing a cup of free coffee at 8 in the morning when you and your dudes are waiting for a place to sit and throw down 8 or 10 shots of Jack before you go out and plow snow for 850 hours straight. I won't even get started about demanding a senior citizen's discount for cheap whiskey at the Elk's Lodge. This is annoying crap!
Some of us older folks will move south and get out of Nasty's way. We look back on our lives in Iowa with fond memories. Sometimes the snow was a bit much, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Maybe down the road, Big Nasty's kids will grow tired of his act and ship him off to a nursing home.
Hang in there. Most sources are forecasting a very mild winter. Highs will be above freezing nearly every day this winter, and precipitation will be far below normal.
By the end of March, we will probably be pretty happy.
When I worked outside, by mid-October I had a feel of foreboding, wondering what winter weather held in store.
In the early 80's my boss asked if we wanted to put money into the heater of a truck we would be trading off in February. I said don't spend it. I drove the truck to Dodgen Industries in Humboldt on a 14 below day when we traded it off. I went inside, took my boots and socks off to rub my tundra frozen toes. It was great driving back with a heater, though. I prefer the memory to the experience.
I read where DuPont has developed a new substance used for road surfacing. It is resistant to liquids and cannot ice over. Has anybody heard anything about this?
If you google "surface dressing" you will see it is an asphalt based overlay. As far as your other claims, whatever. It also says that it should not be applied to existing paving that is not structurally sound. So why do it? It also shows guys putting it on with a paint roller. I've been paving mainline interstate highways for nearly 20 years and I would say that this would be a measure of last resort for any state Dept. of Transportation.
People stay in Iowa for one of two reasons. Either their job is here, and they don't want to risk the security it affords them, or their family is here and they don't like losing the security that they offer.
So, in my opinion, it is one big security blanket.
I'm not sure what anonymous is talking about, either. He might mean a waterproofing aggregate for the deck of a road structure, which would need a surface added.
This patent can be found at http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4863308.html
And now we have our "white" Christmas that all you Iowans dream about. Nobody can travel and people are dying of heart attacks in a futile attempt to shovel three feet of snow out of their driveways.
Do you still like Iowa enough to stay here another winter???
Marty Bryant phoned from Atlanta today. He was kind enough to take the time to inform me that Iowa weather has grown very popular of late. It seems to have spread south and east and up and down the eastern seaboard.
That is not to say that any of these folks are enjoying it. He is requesting that we take it all back. Iowa weather is apparently just not all that popular - in or out of Iowa.
No, this Iowa weather sucks. I didn't move to ATL to wake up to 20 degrees in the morning and a batch of Hawkeye fans looking for directions. I sent them all up to Greensboro, NC, where they will most certainly miss the game but have the opportunity to buy some over priced furniture and pay 2 or 3 hundred bucks a night at some Clarion hotel.
All I can say is some one needs to plug that damned groundhog when it sneaks out of its hole this year. I want to see Punxatawny Phil sprawled out on the ground by his hole.
22 comments:
It looks to me like almost everyone I know leaves Iowa as quickly as they can reasonably afford to. For most, that means when they retire.
Some of us are fortunate enough to get opportunities at a younger age. Virtually all of them leave.
Iowa does not offer four nice seasons. Rather, it offers a brief glimpse of different weather conditions, followed by extremely annoying inclement weather.
I like Iowa weather just fine. Nobody moves only for the purpose of being in a better climate. Those people are moving because there are greater opportunities elsewhere.
You want to talk about annoying? Talk about all these retired screwballs that don't go south. These are the people who are writing checks with a quill pen while you are waiting behind them with only 4 cases of Bud Light to buy with a swipe of a card. These are the people who wait at a stop sign till you honk your horn because they can't see any farther than the dashboard. Why do you think you can never get a booth at any Golden Corral? It's these guys! Talk about annoying! These are the people taking up valuable bar space nursing a cup of free coffee at 8 in the morning when you and your dudes are waiting for a place to sit and throw down 8 or 10 shots of Jack before you go out and plow snow for 850 hours straight. I won't even get started about demanding a senior citizen's discount for cheap whiskey at the Elk's Lodge. This is annoying crap!
Some of us older folks will move south and get out of Nasty's way. We look back on our lives in Iowa with fond memories. Sometimes the snow was a bit much, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Maybe down the road, Big Nasty's kids will grow tired of his act and ship him off to a nursing home.
Hang in there. Most sources are forecasting a very mild winter. Highs will be above freezing nearly every day this winter, and precipitation will be far below normal.
By the end of March, we will probably be pretty happy.
When I worked outside, by mid-October I had a feel of foreboding, wondering what winter weather held in store.
In the early 80's my boss asked if we wanted to put money into the heater of a truck we would be trading off in February. I said don't spend it. I drove the truck to Dodgen Industries in Humboldt on a 14 below day when we traded it off. I went inside, took my boots and socks off to rub my tundra frozen toes. It was great driving back with a heater, though.
I prefer the memory to the experience.
I read where DuPont has developed a new substance used for road surfacing. It is resistant to liquids and cannot ice over. Has anybody heard anything about this?
Sure have! So far, the chemical has shown fantastic results at DuPont's Death Valley, California test track.
No, seriously. It's usually referrede to as "surface dressing" and has been applied to hundreds of miles of roads in England.
It prolongs the life of the pavement, as well as creates a waterproof seal and helps prevent ice from accumulating on it.
If you google "surface dressing" you will see it is an asphalt based overlay. As far as your other claims, whatever. It also says that it should not be applied to existing paving that is not structurally sound. So why do it? It also shows guys putting it on with a paint roller. I've been paving mainline interstate highways for nearly 20 years and I would say that this would be a measure of last resort for any state Dept. of Transportation.
People stay in Iowa for one of two reasons. Either their job is here, and they don't want to risk the security it affords them, or their family is here and they don't like losing the security that they offer.
So, in my opinion, it is one big security blanket.
I'm not sure what anonymous is talking about, either. He might mean a waterproofing aggregate for the deck of a road structure, which would need a surface added.
This patent can be found at http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4863308.html
Pretty sure Al Gore's invention called the internet is right up there.
That last comment is not even on the right thread. It belongs on "Twentieth Century Inventions" and Rick Bland already mentioned it.
There is already a type of road surfacing that drains away liquid and therefore is resistant to icing over. It is commonly known as "gravel".
And now we have our "white" Christmas that all you Iowans dream about. Nobody can travel and people are dying of heart attacks in a futile attempt to shovel three feet of snow out of their driveways.
Do you still like Iowa enough to stay here another winter???
47 degrees here in ATL
Marty Bryant phoned from Atlanta today. He was kind enough to take the time to inform me that Iowa weather has grown very popular of late. It seems to have spread south and east and up and down the eastern seaboard.
That is not to say that any of these folks are enjoying it. He is requesting that we take it all back. Iowa weather is apparently just not all that popular - in or out of Iowa.
No, this Iowa weather sucks. I didn't move to ATL to wake up to 20 degrees in the morning and a batch of Hawkeye fans looking for directions. I sent them all up to Greensboro, NC, where they will most certainly miss the game but have the opportunity to buy some over priced furniture and pay 2 or 3 hundred bucks a night at some Clarion hotel.
Read Orville Bass' take on Iowa weather. It says it all.
That surface dressing stuff reminds of the white crap people used to put on their roofs. Wasn't worth diddly unless the roof was.
All I can say is some one needs to plug that damned groundhog when it sneaks out of its hole this year. I want to see Punxatawny Phil sprawled out on the ground by his hole.
Post a Comment