An Open Letter to the City of Boise

Dear Boise,

Hi. Its me, Karen. We've been together for a while now, almost eight months, and there is something we need to talk about.

No, no, it isn't that - I like you a lot more now that I have a job I enjoy and get paid well for. No, I have gotten used to all your overtly religious people telling me about their personal views all the time. Yeah, I even got used to the fact that I am surrounded by Republicans (Chris is really happy about that one!). No, those things are all fine. I've adapted.

What we need to talk about, is the snow.

"What?" you say, "The snow? What is wrong with the snow?? There is a lot less than you had to deal with back in NY. The snow in Idaho is pretty. You are a whack job."

Well, Idaho, City of Boise in particular, I don't have a problem with the snow, per se, my problem is your residents do not know how to drive in it. Now, before you say anything, you know its true baby. I understand that not everyone drives like they have some place to go around here, if you know what I am saying. Its like a Sunday drive with the AARP club every day under good conditions. What I am talking about is the fact that you only have five plows, FIVE PLOWS, to work a 130 mile stretch of interstate and and entire City. Also, not to bring up a sore issue, but one of your plows caught fire recently so now we are down to four plows. Sigh...

This just brings me to the fact that you are not doing your part to help out with the snowy problem, which, mainly is the fact that no one in this frickin' city seems to know how to drive in the snow.

There, I said it.

People will go 30 miles per hour on the highway (speed limit 75), 20 miles per hour while in a 45 zone. Now, when conditions warrant this type of lame-ass winter driving, I am all for taking it slow and getting where I need to be safely. The previous examples were not actually noted while it was actively snowing...this was just when there was snow on the side of the road and people could see it. No snow on the roads; the roads had been chemically treated and sanded (they don't use salt around here because all the runoff ends up in the river and then we have dead fishies). They were clear. Fine. Safe. Imagine how bad it is when there is, GASP!, snow falling form the sky!!!!!

Now, I hear a lot of people talking about back ice - and I understand it is a problem as well. I had an uncle die in an accident because of that and it is something I take seriously, so I feel it fair to mention that the above examples were when the temperature was well into the high thirties.

All I know is it is going to take Chris probably close to an hour today to drive 30 miles - if he is lucky. There is 1" of snow on the ground. That math don't add up.

So, City of Boise, in closing, I love you baby - don't doubt that. Maybe some winter driving classes for your citizens would be an idea, perhaps you could work out an arrangement with one of the local news programs to have it broad casted for all to see (theres not much else going on around here). Maybe another plow or two would help. Or we could just keep the snow up in the mountains where it belongs...Christmas is over, I don't need no frickin' snow now.

Love,

Karen

PS - happy new year and happy monday : )