The minute I saw the snowflakes falling out of the sky on Wednesday, I groaned. Don’t get me wrong, I love snow; I just don’t love snow while I’m below the Mason-Dixon line.

No matter how well the Virginia Department of Transportation attempts to prepare, the work they do still manages to disappoint me. I think I am disappointed, because I have high expectations from visiting Rhode Island so often in my childhood.

The first big snow that happened while I was visiting my grandparents’ house in the Ocean State wasn’t until I was in high school, and I don’t think I’ve seen that much snow since.

We pulled up to my grandparents’ house, and the snow was just below my knees. I couldn’t believe it.

What shocked me even more was when I woke up and stepped outside. There wasn’t a single flake of snow on the roads. Not one. Every single road in my grandparents’ small neighborhood was cleared by the state.

Sadly, when I come to Virginia, they can’t seem to find the sweet spot for pouring salt on the highways and main roads. Every time it snows, I have to debate how important my errands are or how truly important it is that I work from my office.

On many occasions, I have had to drive dangerously slow because there isn’t any other option.

VDOT is prepared for the snowy season with almost 25,000 tons of salt and 168,400 gallons of salt brine, but I have very little faith that they will be used effectively.

Their goal is to “have all state-maintained roads passable within 48 hours after a winter storm ends,” according to a release from VDOT. That’s laughable. In my 25 years as a Virginia resident I have yet to see VDOT really clear the roads quickly and efficiently.

But I will hold out hope, because I’m gullible, and hopefully VDOT can hold up to their end of the bargain. If they do I won’t have to work from home as often this winter.