The wheels on my car go round and round...

Have I told you yet that white, beautiful snow gives me the blues? I think Winter is the hardest part about our move to Italy (Yes, it snows in Italy!) I just can't get used to it! I am ill prepared, mostly because I do not want to face the fact that winter is here.

Being the professional procrastinator that I am, I still have my regular tires on my car... call it denial, call it wishful thinking... Anyhow, my little Peugeot has changed my life since the moment I got it last June, I can go places, I can meet with people, I can teach, and I can take classes. I am independent, I can do anything that I want; well, that is until snow covers the roads and everything becomes a mess!

Yesterday I was getting ready for my art class, when quietly the lady in white sneaked into view. She did her work slowly and magnificently, after just an hour of her visit I was no longer able to see the bricks on my driveway, nor the asphalt on the road. I had to act quickly, so I packed all my materials, got my warmest shoes on, a good coat, an umbrella, and my trusty Peugeot. I was on my way with plenty of time to spare, as I left the house an hour and a half before the class and it usually takes me twenty minutes to get to school. Well, my Colombian naiveté got me going, but I was about to learn a lesson!

I got down the hill from my house easily, then I was on the main road to Varese and enough cars had gone by to make it look easy. I was cautious, I inched my way up to the city, then I had to stop at a light. I learned all there was to be learned about traction and speed right then and there. My wheels spun and skidded, but I managed to move forward. As I got into town things just got worse: more traffic, more stops, more hills.

Time had no problem advancing while I was stuck. Minutes flew by, and I found myself at the bottom of the hill that leads to the school. The snowplow had not had a chance to come by this secondary street, there were cars stuck right and left. I considered leaving the car at the bottom and walking, but I had too many things with me. I went on, or I should say my car went on, as I felt I had no control whatsoever of the machine. I got stuck more than once, but somehow I was able to get out. Thinking about my little students who were about to be released from school kept me going. I dug myself into deep snow when turning around to park, again I learned on the spot how to get out of it! I went back and forth, I moved the wheels right and left, until I had some room for traction, accelerating slowly until I was FREE!

I parked, run, and I got to the school as the kids were getting out! All was good until I cut one of my little students with the kid-safe scissors, but that is a story for another day!