Another Storm-Adjacent Issue

So, the second part of this two-day storm has come through and I think, except for one more quick burst of snow late tonight, we're done with snow... until Saturday (we'll cross that bridge when we get there). We actually got a lot less snow in the second wave than originally thought, ending up with three inches instead of the rumored four to eight. However, this was three inches of solid and heavy snow, which was immediately followed by sleet. This gave the snow on the ground a crunchy top and is why it is still sitting on my driveway. I know that sounds bad, but leaving it on the ground is the smart plan because the snow gives you some traction and that beats the alternative of shovelling it away only to have the paper-thin snow coating remaining, as just turns into a skating rink. Also, I left it on the driveway because this kind of snow has the density of a dying sun. Honestly, I worked up more of sweat just clearing my steps than I did getting rid of an entire driveway worth of the seven inches of fluffy snow that we got during the first wave.

The bigger issue is that the frozen snow has also left my truck with a sort of icy-shell covering it, like Mother Nature has turned my vehicle into a large M&M. Rather than have to deal with it first thing in the morning, I decided to go out and clear it off tonight, then keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't just re-ice itself overnight. Anyway, I was out there to turn on my truck and crank the heat while I scraped the windows, when I could not for the life of me get any of my doors open. They had all frozen shut. I scraped at them as best I could and eventually got the passenger door open so I could get the car running, but it was no go on the driver's side door. I figured a couple minutes of heat would do the trick and went about the task of getting the other windows defrosted. After a couple of minutes I went back, sure that I had given it enough time. I still couldn't get the door open. I chipped every bit of ice that I could see out from around the door and then, I tugged. I pulled. I tried two hands on the handle. I tried one hand on the handle and the other in the thin space between the top of the door and the car. I pulled so hard I was convinced the handle was going to break off in my hand. Nothing.

Not being a small man I was not looking forward to going in through the passenger door and climbing over the center console, but I didn't think I had any other way. I figured if I could at least get into the seat I could slam my body into the door until either it or my shoulder popped. It was in mid-climb I noticed my main problem: the door was locked. I think it was either so cold or so icy that the mechanism inside the door didn't unlock when I first hit the button and since the windows were iced over I couldn't see inside the truck to notice that the lock was still engaged. As such, I had spent the last twenty minutes or so standing in sub-freezing temperatures essentially trying to break into my own car. (In hindsight it is actually a miracle I didn't break the door handle.) So, on the one hand I felt like an idiot for not checking to see if the door was still locked when I got the passenger door open about fifteen minutes earlier. But on the other hand, at least I know the locks on my truck are rock-solid. If you want to get in and steal my parking meter money, you are going to have to work for it.