I just received the robo-call from the Concord School District-another snow day for Sophie. I had planned to drive her to school today because the sidewalks have been so treacherous here. The streets are plowed and the driveways are plowed, but the sidewalks are an afterthought. Small children and poodles have a hard time struggling over the walls of ice and snow left by the slush and then they plummet to the street hoping the cars will stop.
I appreciate being able to drive my car in all weather, but sometimes I wish the streets weren't plowed. There would be less salt and less ice and we could ski and sled to our destinations.
Concord does have an ordinance about keeping your sidewalks clear, but it is not enforced. In Finland there are criminal penalties when a property owner fails to maintain safe conditions for pedestrians. At least one person has died in Helsinki this year and it is possible that the building owner could be charged with involuntary manslaughter as a result. You can read the story here on YLE.
I found the picture of the old timey snow roller here. It makes me want to move to the Northeast Kingdom.
Christmas Eve 1996: Kristiinankatu, Turku was like a postcard. Nobody had pushed the snow away and I was leaving work at Academic Bookstore. I walked down the street and regretted not having a camera with me.
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