Obstructed View

Those of you of a certain age will know what this little device is good for. And how badly we could use it now!

Back in the day (yes, my day), you'd see the bright orange Union 76 Styrofoam ball atop many a radio antenna. Why? To be seen. Because back in the day, there were a lot of winters like we're having right now. Snow piled so high that we've run out of places to put it. And certainly haven't had time to cut  down the banks or move them further in from intersections.

Here's an example on my way home from church today. That's my view to the left. I could only inch so far out from the stop sign. But I needed to because...

This was my view to the right! No matter how much I slowly inched forward, I was an accident waiting to happen. If I had that bright orange 76 ball on top of my antenna, oncoming traffic would see it and slow down – knowing there was a car there and knowing it might pull out because its view is obstructed. Sitting at the stop sign, I might also see an orange ball (or other brightly colored ones) coming down the street, too.

They were practical and brilliant marketing tools. Too bad we don't even have antennas anymore! We could bring those retro safety spheres back to life!

At least when we pull out of our driveway (on the right), we can count on a lot less traffic than city streets. Still, it's a bit of a risk.

I had to take pictures to send to the overseas child. He can't get over how our winter has shaped up.

It just keeps growing and growing! Be safe out there!