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One of My Favorite "Snow Stories" from Cleveland...

By Karen Anne Stone

Real Estate Agent with New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County

February 08, 2010 02:09 AM

Reading about the two feet of snow that has just inundated much of the east coast... brought to mind a silly story from my past... that I thought I would share.

There I was... about twenty years ago... a Realtor in Mentor, Ohio. It has snowed overnight... about two feet... and for some reason, I had left my car in the driveway the night before.

I had some things I had to do... but... rather than get into a freezing car, I ran out, opened the car door and started the engine... and turned on the heater and the blower. Then I went back inside to wait until it warmed up.

You prolly can guess what happened. Something came up... and I forgot all about the car warming up. It must have been about eight hours later that I remembered.

So... I hurriedly went outside to make sure someone had not stolen the car... and found that it had indeed become nice and toasty warm... right up until the moment it ran out of gas.

So there I was... out of gas in my own driveway. Ahhh... the joys of winter combined with being distracted very easily.

Enjoy your two feet of snow... and if you start up your car to get it all toasty warm... I hope your memory is better than mine was. :)

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Fred Carver Real Estate Consulant

Retired BC Realtor - Victoria, BC

Accredited Real Estate Consultant

Hi Karen..I bet yu never did that again..how far did you walk for Gas, or did a buddy come to your rescue?

Feb 08, 2010 02:39 AM

Michael O'Donnell

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Arizona Properties - Scottsdale, AZ

GRI, ePRO, Accessible Homes

Karen Anne,

I'm reminded of digging out my car, and my wife's car, after a snowstorm that dropped 38" of snow in 15 hours, in Pennsylvania back in the 1980's. It took me 7 hours of non-stop shoveling to accomplish this feat.

Then, after a snow plow came by, and partially reburied the cars, another 2 hours to free them a second time.

I see we both learned our lessons: you live in Fort Worth, TX, and I live in Scottsdale, AZ.

Ain't it great to be warm?!

Feb 08, 2010 02:46 AM

Jo-Anne Smith

Oakville, ON

Karen Anne,

Whatever came up must have been very interesting and time-consuming...or was it a whole bunch of things one after the other?

A book that has helped me is 'The Power of Focus'...likely one of the best books I've ever read.

Feb 08, 2010 03:00 AM

Karen Anne Stone

New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Real Estate

John: I often do that very thing in Mall parking lots, or in the open-air lots of the outdoor malls. I often end up having to hit the "panic" button and wave it up in the air... so that my own car will start honking at me... and tell me where it is. Some fun, huh ? Old-timers disease... or as Denny Crane on Boston Legal refers to is... Mad Cow Disease.

Feb 08, 2010 03:18 AM

Karen Anne Stone

New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Real Estate

Fred: Luckily, I did not live all that far from my office... so one of my Realtor office-mates brought down a gallon can of gas. We both had a good laugh over it.

Feb 08, 2010 03:19 AM

Karen Anne Stone

New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Real Estate

Michael: Where in Pennsylvania did you live? Mentor, Ohio is right on I-90... which puts it only about 45 minutes from the PA line. Many times I remember visiting a friend in PA who lived off Exit Two on the PA pike... which was the Beaver Valley exit.

And yes... it's great to be warm.

Feb 08, 2010 03:24 AM

Karen Anne Stone

New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Real Estate

Jo: It was what so often happens. I started out with something... whatever it was... which led to something else, which then led to something else... on and on and on. You know how that works.

Now... I "could" go purchase that book you recommend... The Power of Focus... but I would probably read a bit of it... find it interesting... then put it away so I could really "get into it" later... and then, of course, either forget where I put it... of just forget about it, period.

By the way... IF... as many scientists believe... Global Warming IS true... perhaps in a few years I could move back up north... or maybe... even move to the southern shores of Lake Erie or Lake Ontario... on the Canadian side.

If it wasn't so cold... for me, anyway, I would love to get a chance to live in Canada. Sure, each country has it's own set of problems... but, from afar, at least... Canadians seem so much more... ummmm... open.

Also... nice to see you commenting here again. :)

Feb 08, 2010 03:31 AM

Steve Shatsky

Dallas, TX

Hi Karen Anne... I can just imagine this happening to you! I definitely don't miss the days of shoveling snow or scraping the ice off of the windshield of my car.

Feb 08, 2010 03:32 AM

Susan Brown

Keller Williams NE, Kingwood Texas (Humble & Atascocita too) - Kingwood, TX

Karen Anne - What a hilarious story - and it gave me my Monday morning chuckle. I'm going to share this one with a few friends too. Sounds like what we call a "Lucy Moment."

Feb 08, 2010 04:33 AM

Karen Anne Stone

New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Real Estate

Steve: Ahh yes... memories of the snow-shoveling days you have from Jersey, and I have from Cleveland. I honestly would not mind the snow... if it only snowed when the temperature was in the sixties or higher. :)

Yeah... I didn't like that windshield-scraping stuff... but you see where it led me.

Feb 08, 2010 04:44 AM

Karen Anne Stone

New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Real Estate

Susan: I like it... I really DO. A "Lucy Moment." I think I will start using that... along with Denny Crane's Mad Cow Disease.

I am so glad I brought you a chuckle for your breakfast desert. Smiling feels good... especcially on a Monday morning.

Feb 08, 2010 04:46 AM

Ellie McIntire

Ellicott City Clarksville Howard County Maryland Real Estate - Ellicott City, MD

Luxury service in Central Maryland

That sounds like something I would do. Actually on Friday after a trip to the store in prep of our 30 inches I ALMOST left my drivers side door open which was not in view of the house. That would not had been an enjoyable thing to wake up to!

Feb 08, 2010 06:30 AM

Karen Anne Stone

New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Real Estate

Ellie: Yes... coming out in the morning and finding thirty inches of snow INSIDE your car. Now that is something I would like to see on video. Please, please... do it next time... just for the video. Oh Puhleeze !

By the way, Ellie, did you know that... on your profile... you can click on the address link of yours... and Google Maps, or whatever it is, will allow you to actually zoom down to your office... and actually move around the cursor to allow you to see the front of your building ? Way cool ! Too bad you were not outside and in front of your building... waving... when Google took that picture. :(

Oh Poop. I just went and tried that Google Maps thingie to make sure, and they either must have changed it, or something. No front of the building... just a view from above. But there it was... right that on Highway 40... the Baltimore National Pike. Darn.

Feb 08, 2010 06:47 AM

Dan and Amy Schuman

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services - Solon, OH

Luxury Home Specialists

Karen Anne, I almost did the same thing the other day. I have an Explorer that I only drive on bad weather days but make a point to start it at least once a week. After about an hour, my wife reminded me that I left the truck running in the driveway, otherwise I probably would have gone to sleep and forgot about it.

Feb 08, 2010 07:12 AM

Karen Anne Stone

New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Real Estate

Dan: Uh huh... it happens. Growing old does that to you. If you think it's bad now, just wait until either you or Amy finally hit 30. :) Wow... my being thirty... it seems like an eternity ago. Prolly because it was... LOL.

Feb 08, 2010 07:41 AM

Michael O'Donnell

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Arizona Properties - Scottsdale, AZ

GRI, ePRO, Accessible Homes

Karen Anne.

Lived in Lancaster Co... can't remember if the storm was in '83 or '84...but I do remember that it was the only time I remember that the entire state was legally "closed". (I think that had someting to do with the inability of emergency services, State Police, etc. to do their jobs due to the impassible roads.)

Feb 08, 2010 08:30 AM

Mary Douglas

United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado - Red Feather Lakes, CO

REALTOR, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado

Karen-Anne this is something I might do, it's so easy to get distracted. But for 8 hours? LOL I was going to a funeral in Denver, and didn't want to take my purse inside so I left it in the car. I was very careful to lock the doors so it would be safe. When my husband went out later to get something from the car he found my driver door wide open - I left it that way!

Feb 08, 2010 09:07 AM

Debbie Walsh

SHAHAR Management - Middletown, NY

Hudson Valley NY Real Estate 845.283-3036

Karen-that is hilarious. Luckily no one made off with your car!

Feb 08, 2010 10:13 AM

Michael O'Donnell

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Arizona Properties - Scottsdale, AZ

GRI, ePRO, Accessible Homes

Debra?

Making off with Karen Anne's car in two feet of snow? You'd have to respect that kind of industriousness!

Feb 08, 2010 12:41 PM

Russel Ray, San Diego Business & Marketing Consultant & Photographer

Russel Ray - San Diego State University, CA

Well at least your car was outside. Too many people warm up the car in a closed garage and are overcome with carbon monoxide, which is why it's important never to block those little louver vents in the side of your garage or in the garage door or the vents on the roof of your garage. Your garage needs to breathe, even if it is cold in there.

Feb 10, 2010 07:22 PM

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