Ah, winter in Maine. Three big storms, four school snow days, in the last week. Back in the day, the old folks tell us, they walked two miles to and from school in blizzards, uphill, both ways. No problem.

Far be it from us to question our elders’ veracity (or memory) on this. But it seems difficult, if not impossible, to get anywhere just now. Despite the towns’ best efforts, sidewalks, where they exist, are impassable. Walking in the street is taking one’s life in one’s hands because the drivers cannot see around the giant snowbanks that easily tower over determined pedestrians and optimistic cyclists, and enterprising cross-country skiers and snowshoers.

And when the drivers get where they’re going, they’re rather stuck, because there are parking bans everywhere.

Even the dogs don’t want to go out, leading to predictable consequences indoors.

In the rosy visions of the future put forth by science fiction books and television shows and cartoons, we should have flying cars or teleporters by now, and be able to work or attend classes contentedly from home, even communicating with video systems that allow us to have meetings right in our own cozy home office, even without taking off our pj bottoms and fuzzy socks.

Wait … except for the flying car/transporter jazz, we do have all that. It seems that in a state like Maine, when weather like this happens with some regularity, there ought to be a system set up in which nonessential office people could get the majority of their work done at home. Teachers should be able to put lessons on the internet and keep their kids busy and let them get out of school at a normal time. Colleges and universities should be able to keep staff and faculty and students safe without missing a beat.

We could call such a day a “statewide snow emergency day” and everyone would just take a deep breath and get their laptops and number two pencils out and leave the car safely in the driveway or the school bus safely in the barn.

Those who had to go to work would be less likely to hit or be hit by those who didn’t have to go.

Work would still get done, classes would still go on, and by the end of June, children would be gleefully pedaling to the park or the beach rather than a sweltering school.

People might be able to take a vacation instead of taking personal days to be home with kids who are unexpectedly facing a day off. That would benefit them and the local economy.

The towns and cities and school and workplace parking lots would have a fighting chance to clean up so that the next day could happen without massive delays.

Let’s give it a shot. It’ll be safer and more effective than what we’re doing now.

And with more severe storms happening with greater frequency, we’ll have to make a plan for the future. Not the Jetsons’ distant flying car future, but the future that is likely to happen right here, just a few years from now.