SNOW DAY!



A little pine tree at the corner of my front porch




Icicles on the bushes out front




Icicles on the porch railing

Well, we didn't have to wait long after our disappointment yesterday for vindication. As the day progressed, with the girls (and teachers) in a sorry state of grumpiness over having to be at school, the weathermen at the news stations started warning that a second round of "winter weather" (I love how they say that; as if somehow the weather we've been having since December doesn't count as "winter") was on its way. We were all dubious at this point, having gotten our hopes up the day before only to have them dashed.

But sure enough, a little after 4 in the afternoon, it began to sleet. The administrators at our school went through the building, rounding up students who stay behind for afterschool activities and letting them call parents for rides home. There were rumors that it had started full-fledged snowing downtown, to the west of us. So I packed up my things (taking with me enough items to work on over the weekend if we were to not have school, although afraid that I would somehow jinx it by doing so) and headed home.

By golly, it really was snowing. Certainly not a white-out or blizzard conditions, but a pretty respectable weather pattern for a place that sees snow as infrequently as we do. The roads were wet but not slick. I had no trouble getting home, although I did notice those lines at the gas stations and grocery stores AGAIN. Didn't these people just load up on provisions yesterday?

Anyway, I went ahead and laid out my clothes and everything for work the next morning, really not expecting that we'd get enough to give us a holiday. My husband noted when we went to bed that the grass was starting to whiten. I shrugged it off.

But when I got up at 5 to take the dog out, OH GLORIOUS DAY! Tons of snow! Mountains! A new ice age! Well, OK, not really. But we did get a solid inch and a half, and that's gotta count for something. I turned on my laptop to check the news channels. Nothing yet. So I walked the dog (who LOVED it; he's only seen snow a few times in his life, and every time he realizes it is the greatest thing EVER. He rolls in it, kicks it up, snorts it, licks it, pounces on it, and generally has more fun than he's ever had doing anything else) and came back in for an update. This time, it was what I had hoped for. Our school, as a private school, doesn't really hinge on anyone else's decision-making: if our president decides we close, we close. But the president usually bases her decision on what the public schools in the area do, as well as what some of the other private schools do. Well, both public school systems in the county went down, and the privates schools followed close behind. So we shut down too. I gleefully crawled back into bed.

I'm really a little surprised we got the day off. I haven't been out driving, but I've walked on the roads, and even this morning at 5 they seemed less slick than yesterday. Also, it's warmer today, and I expect the overpasses and bridges that iced over yesterday probably didn't today, or at least not as much. Perhaps our president just decided that we needed a day off. I really think it's a good thing (even though it messes up my classes by putting one ahead of the others). The girls were all cranky and tired yesterday, disappointed in the weather and worried about their classmate. We've heard nothing new on her condition other than they are continuing to do MRIs to determine how extensive her head injuries are. I do not believe she has regained consciousness yet, although we were told she was squeezing family members' hands when they would talk to her. So our fingers are crossed and our prayers are active. But this gives the students a chance to go home, relax, and calm their minds. It makes for a great Groundhog Day.

And the little weasel even predicted an early spring. Who knew?