"Snow-pocalypse"

Clever, huh? That's how some folks are referring to the unusual amount of snow some parts of Alaska has seen this winter. We've gotten over six feet of snow so far in Homer. Almost everyone has been stuck at their own or somebody else's house by now, if not on the side of the road. We've all put in some time behind shovels and plows, and people with really long driveways are wondering why they built their cabins exactly there.  The roads are usually passable for the ubiquitous Subaru. The skiing is good if you don't need trails, as the groomers can't keep up.
My neighbors got their car stuck on the road outside my door two months ago. I guess it was their disposable car, because it's still there. I am wondering if there are salvage laws for vehicles and what I might do with a four-door sedan.


More amazing than the fact the the snow keeps falling is that businesses keep closing. Unemployment is a popular pastime in winter Alaska, but anyone who doesn't subscribe to that has gotten at least one "snow day" off of work. If my Subaru can get there to see that you are closed, you probably could get there too, but maybe not.
Government offices seem to shut first, followed by a litany of stores, restaurants, and services. It's becoming obvious what "essential" workers are in Homer, AK: bartenders and liquor store cashiers. You might want to go to a movie on a snowy day. You can't. Theater's closed because of weather. Or perhaps you could use that extra time to work on your new years resolutions and go to the health club: no, the club is closed because the parking lot isn't plowed. They could hand out shovels and clear the parking lot in the name of 'group fitness' but apparently people don't want to exercise until they are inside the building. This weekend, a ski event was cancelled because there was too much snow to ski.
The harbor is frozen solid, with a mere mile of ice pack blocking the entrance. Small boats have not been coming or going for a couple of weeks.
But, I can go to the top of the ridge and downhill ski straight to my house. If you can dodge ice bergs, you can go surfing. The days are getting longer, we're gaining six minutes a day, and the bars are still open. Let it snow.