A Snow Storm that Taught Me a Lesson

Jay and 48 Ford
Jay and the '48 Ford
It was Friday afternoon on Nov. 6, 1953. I was on my way home from Millersville where I was a sophomore, majoring in mathematics. It had started to snow but how much snow can you get in early November? Well, by the time I got home it was snowing pretty hard. My parents had gone to Virginia for the weekend to see my Uncle Lloyd. I was going to have a great weekend.

I had a 1948 Ford and the tires didn't have much tread on them, but I made it home to Akron, PA. Now here is where I thought I was pretty smart. We had a one-car garage and Dad's car wasn't there. So, why not park my car in the garage? I knew I would have to put chains on the car in the morning to get to work. Why not do it in the warm, dry garage. As a matter of fact, I put them on that night to save time in the morning.

To appreciate the rest of the story, you must realize that the garage was in the basement and there was a fairly steep driveway with walls on both sides. What I didn't figure on was a strong wind that picked up over night. By morning that driveway was filled with snow. We had six inches of snow and lots of blowing and drifting.

I got the shovel out and began digging out the driveway. I was cold and tired and I kept saying, "Why did I park in the garage?" "You know," I thought, "If I give it the gun, I can get up that driveway and out onto the street." Yeah, sure! I got half way up the driveway and my car hung up on the snow. The wheels were off the ground and I couldn't move. Now what?

I began sholveling snow from under the car. By noon the wheels had settled back on the ground. I backed the Ford back into the garage and had lunch. Then I did the smart thing. I shoveled out the rest of the driveway and went to work. I was only 5 hours late, and I don't recall what happened when I got there. I suppose my boss understood, for I don't remember getting chewed out for being late. I don't even remember if I told him about my predicament. That night I parked along the street where I was supposed to park. I had learned my lesson. When Mother and Dad got home, they were surprised that I had shoveled the driveway out. I never told them why I did it.

- The Old Professor

Copyright © Jay D Weaver - January 22, 2011

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