Still alive after night in snow storm... homelessness is no joke

Snow.  It's beautiful when you're inside looking out at a heavy snowstorm.  It's even beautiful when you walk out in it for a while, and then go back into nice warm house, even better with a crackling fire to warm up by.

But when you're homeless, like me at the moment, a heavy snow quickly turns to a life or death situation.  "Plan A" was to sell my tiger drawing last Friday and save money to get a cheap motel room for the potential snowfall last night.  Things didn't work out as planned, the storm shifted north, and I ended up on about Plan W. 

I have a little spot I sleep, with a tiny roof over it, on the side of an abandoned building.  There's a side wall that keeps most of the rain out, except when the wind comes from one particular direction.  Last night it was coming from that direction.  With snow.

Since I'm in the"working homeless" group, but working for myself doing artwork, I spend most of my time at a library or fast food place where I can draw, use wifi, and get drink refills when possible.  That's also why I avoid the "Homeless Merry-Go_Round" of free meals, short term shelters, and social workers. When an area like Richmond, not used to big snows, gets a storm like this, things close early.  I grew up on Ohio and Idaho, places used to, and equipped for, lots of snow.  In Richmond, 10"+ of snow is epic.  In Ohio, it's Sunday.  Life goes on.  Stores are open.  Here, for good reason, unfortunately, things stop.  As a homeless guy, that makes my situation worse.

So I left a large store's food court last night about 6pm, when they closed several hours early.  I hiked through about 8 inches of fresh snow in running shoes.  By the time I got to my sleeping spot, my feet were soaked and cold.  It was snowing hard.  The temperature was around 30 degrees, and the wind was about 10 mph coming right into the top of my sleeping area.  My spot was wet concrete with an inch of snow on it.

I hiked through more fresh snow to a nearby dumpster, and a bunch of cardboard boxes.  I made a wall by the opening of my spot, out of cardboard and snow, to block some wind and most snow.  I shoveled out the snow inside with a cardboard box, and tossed some newspapers out that were on the ground for insulation, but were all wet.  Then I laid cardboard down, as best I could, while freezing my ass off and with wet, cold feet.  Then I took off my heavy coat and stocking cap, both covered with snow. (Thanks again for the coat Scotty!), I pulled my two sleeping bags over my body and head, while sitting up, the only position I could manage without getting part of me wet, and I began to warm up.  I put the winter jacket over my sleeping bags for added insulation.  Once my body warmed up, I took off my wet shoes and socks and worked on warming my feet up.  It worked.  They weren't toasty, but stayed far from frostbite.

Last evening, I walked out into what is now Richmond's worst early season snow ever, and the 12th biggest snow since records have been kept.  My feet were cold and wet almost immediately.  I stayed out in the cold for over 17 1/2 hours.  I did not know if I would survive.  Honestly.  Last night was a crap shoot.  I would have bet against myself.

I had someone interested in buying my tiger drawing last Friday, and I was hoping to sell it.  We didn't connect, for whatever reason, and so money for a motel for last night wasn't there.  Shit happens.  I adapt.  On Friday, we were looking at a weather prediction of a little "wintry mix" Sunday night.  As it always does on the Eastern seaboard, the weather pattern shifted, and we wound up getting 9-14 inches of "wintry mix" yesterday and well into last night. 

I laid under my sleeping bags for hours this morning, because the only fast food joint in sight didn't open.  My socks and shoes were soaking wet and actually froze over night.  While I managed to keep my feet fairly warm, and avoid frostbite, last night, I knew I couldn't go far after putting wet shoes on bare feet this morning.  Finally, since I really needed to go to the bathroom, I had to throw the icy shoes on my bare feet, and trudge through 10 inches of fresh snow to get to a nearby store, hoping it had a public bathroom.  I pulled my shoes off in the bathroom and dried them with the hand dryer.  Feeling much, much better at that point, and finally sure I'd actually survived, I hiked to a place with wifi and food, where I am now.  My feet got kind of cold and wet again.   This is why I don't bog much about my day to day life right now.  No one really wants to read it.

So that's the last 20 hours of my life.  How was your day?

Newspaper report on the snow storm of 12/9/2018 here in Richmond