Shoveling out and happy about it

It’s hard to go anywhere these days and not hear people talking about the weather. Actually, it’s hard to go anywhere at all.

Highway 35 is all but invisible from my office now, thanks to a huge berm of snow that’s been cleared from our parking lot over the past few weeks. Plenty of roofs around the Valley are starting to look just a little saggy under the weight of all the snow and I’ve reached a point where I’m thankful each day to not be one of the many vehicles spending time in a roadside ditch.

And for the most part, I couldn’t be happier.

As a transplanted Southerner, the novelty of shoveling precipitation still hasn’t quite worn off, and as I skier I’m unapologetically greedy when it comes to winter storms. I must not be unusual because nearly everywhere I go people complaining about the snow eventually say something to the effect of, “and to think skiers like this,” with enough venom to make me consider a move to Abu Dhabi.

But while the powder brings me glee, driving icy roads has ensured that my steering wheel is constantly coated in a sheen of sweat from my white-knuckled death grip. If the people driving 4x4 trucks 30 mph in 70 mph zones are any indication, I’m not alone.

The National Weather Service says there’s lots more where this came from, even if some might be in the form of rain by week’s end. So bundle up and be careful. And try not to blame me, I’m just enjoying it.

Time to weigh in on plan running out

Though I fear I might jinx the whole operation by writing this, time is running out for the public to comment on Bigfork’s Neighborhood Plan. With the Bigfork Steering Committee and the Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee’s Monday evening decision to make a few final changes, there are only three public hearings left.

The plan will appear before BLUAC, the Flathead County Planning Board and likely be the first such plan considered by the commissioners with Jim Dupont on board.

BLUAC will hear the plan on Jan. 25 and the planning board on Feb. 11, so watch the pages of the Eagle for notice and go say your peace, whether for or against, before there’s no more opportunity to do so.