When we lived in the frozen North, the town police station was at the end of our street, so the street was the first one cleared (and plowed as needed during the day) so the police cars could get out to the main drag. This was all and good but the end of our driveway was constantly "plowed in". Get up in the morning and the plow had already been by. 2 feet of hard compacted snow to be dug out so you could get to work. Come back in the evening and there was another berm of snow waiting for you so you could get IN your driveway. Next morning, rinse and repeat. That got old REAL fast. I don't miss snow. Not one little bit.
We live on the street leading to the hospital, so that's pretty much the case here too. It's nice having a plowed street but I can't so much as drive to the store without having to shovel the end of our driveway in order to get back in on return.
Yeah, and mixed with salt and gravel and road grime. Not the pretty white stuff. In fact the pretty white stuff was nowhere after the first day. And then, when the snow started to melt, the gray slush, and the splashes on the backs of your legs and hose after walking, that would get crusty by the time you got where you were going. Oh, and I forgot about boots! Mary, you are the first person I've heard use the term "berm" since I left Ohio. That's what we called the graveled band along the sides of the roads. Down here they call it the shoulder. I guess that makes sense.
The snow on our property stays white all winter. There is always the mess near the highways, but if you get away from the main roads, all is white, usually from October until April. You can get on a snowmobile or dogsled and go for hundreds of miles here without seeing another person if you so choose. Most folks don't want to be remote in case something happens. "The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave a lustre of midday to objects below..." is what it is like during a near-full moon.
A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly, her husband came into the kitchen. "Careful," he said, "CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my GOD! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my GOD! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going 2 STICK! Careful.. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget that. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!" The wife stared at him. "What is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?" The husband calmly replied, "I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving."