Lost Shoe

You wouldn't think that a shoe could be a casualty of the winter weather. Gloves, maybe a scarf, but not really a shoe. But that's what happened today. I went to pick my kids up from school. I park on the street across from the school rather than waiting in the long pickup line. Lots of other parents pick up their kids where I do. I pulled into an empty spot. There was room in front of me and a car pulled up behind me and honked - they wanted me to move forward instead of them driving around in front of me. It was annoying, but I moved forward. In retrospect, I never should have done this. In between the sidewalk and the curb there is a huge pile of snow created from the snowplows clearing the streets. My kids have to step over this pile to make it into the car. By moving forward, I had unknowingly parked right next to a storm drain. Josh stepped over (and into) the huge pile of snow to get into the car. He was suddenly up to his knees in snow - he had stepped right into the storm drain. I got out of my seat and reached out to pull him up and into the car. Unfortunately his shoe never made it out of the storm drain. I laid down and reached my hand down the drain to see if I could feel anything (I wasn't wearing a coat or gloves). I couldn't see or feel a thing. I even went home, got a flashlight, and went back. Still, nothing. I don't know how deep the drains are or if retrieving the shoe was even possible, but I had to try. Next time I'm parked to pick up my kids, I think I'm staying put.