Unless you have been living in a dream world lately, you probably know Old Man Winter has been cruel to Bowling Green this year.

After three major snowstorms, plus instances of freezing rain, I have not seen much grass in the last month. While Old Man Winter cannot control what Mother Nature tells him to do, the city and its landlords can actually help out with this mess by plowing and salting their roads and parking lots better.

For example, when I returned from break the Friday before school started, I parked my car in Heinz Site and realized when I got out that I had parked on a patch of ice.

After searching for a clear spot where I wouldn’t risk falling while unpacking, I noticed the entire lot was covered in ice.

I knew Bowling Green had a bad storm a few days before I returned, but this parking lot gave no indication that any salt trucks had been around. I almost slipped 10 times while unpacking that day — once where I nearly fell flat on my face carrying my computer.

My roommate and I went out that night and returned at 3 a.m. when there was nothing more than snow flurries in the sky. The next morning, we awoke to seven inches of snow, and both of our cars were stuck in snow and ice.

This was a Saturday, so we had no other option than to dig our cars out if we wanted to go anywhere before Monday.

After finally digging my roommate’s car out, we went to buy a shovel, only to find both Meijer and Wal-mart were sold out. I relied on myself, a few friends and our hands to get my car out. I do not remember seeing any plow or salt trucks in our lot even the Monday after this storm.

Not to mention that when we were shovel-shopping that day, I got a good feel for how Bowling Green plows their roads. Although every street in town was a mess, I only saw one plow truck. The snow looked as if they had plowed some to the side of the road, while most of it was going to the middle of the road and piling up so high it looked like a snow mountain.

I have noticed this several times over the past few weeks on Main and Wooster Streets, and even some side streets. Even when the roads themselves are actually clear, isn’t it still hazardous to pile snow at least 12 feet high in the middle of the road? Doesn’t that block one’s view of on-coming traffic and cars in other lanes?

After that snowstorm, my parking lot has remained practically full of snow, and sometimes ice, for a few weeks. After the snowstorm last Friday, my car was once again stuck.

After spending a second weekend snowed in, I finally struggled to get my car out Monday. Some cars in our lot were still stuck Tuesday, yet I have only noticed a plow truck there once. And when this truck was plowing, it was shoving the snow toward the cars — not very helpful, in my opinion.

Lo and behold, I drove to Kroger Tuesday morning and noticed that, once again, snow was piled about eight feet high in the middle of Main Street. Just looking at these piles of snow in the middle of Bowling Green streets makes me think of avalanches because if someone tried to climb a snow pile, that’s exactly what would happen.

Not that I think anyone in this town would be dumb enough to do that, but regardless — Bowling Green needs to plow this stuff to the side of the road!

Three days after last weekend’s snowstorm, I still felt the snow and ice under my car when I drove. As I made that 10-minute trip to Kroger, I had to hit my anti-lock brakes two or three times. I really do not understand how Bowling Green’s roads were still that messy when they had a full three days to plow.

I have never seen so many ice-filled and snow-covered roads and parking lots in any town as I have in Bowling Green this year.

This really is dangerous, and the only good part is that if I fall and break my leg in one of these areas, my parents may not be paying the doctor bill!

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