home safe!

The upper plains, or whatever that area to the west and north of us is called, got hammered with a foot or more of snow the past couple of days. I don't pay close attention to the forecast 'cause I live with a weatherman, my hubby. He said we might get an inch or so.

This afternoon I had a couple of little errands to run and thought nothing of the snow. After all, I'm not Memaw. My paternal grandmother, ever the southerner, was horrified when she'd visit us in Connecticut and watch my mother head out to run errands in the snow. Memphians just don't do that. They stay home if it snows, no questions asked.

So. Errand number one went fine. Then I needed to run to Kohl's on the east side of town. After spending just 15 minutes in Kohl's, I headed to my car which was covered in at least 2 inches of snow. The state highway out front, a main artery into town, was packed. OK, the Friday before Christmas, I understand.

Apparently the snow caught the city guys off guard. There were no plows in sight. A usual 7-minute trip took at least a half hour. It was punctuated by icy roads, several inches of snow and slush, and holiday traffic. Slight hills up and over railroad tracks turned treacherous and our main street in town, Sandusky, suffered a gridlock of sliding cars and gobs of traffic.

I'm home now. Dinner is going to be whatever's on hand: no going out! Be safe, friends, wherever you are! (No, Karen, not moving south!)

introducing: winter

Dear Ari:

You're a southern-born girl

and though this is your second winter,

you're only now getting a taste of it

because you're no longer so tiny

AND

because snow has fallen generously 

in your part of the country.

How do you like it?

You seem to be taking it in stride

just as you do

most everything else in life.
Well, good for you, adventurous girl!
And thank your mommy and daddy
who fed and changed you,
bundled you up,
fashioned a makeshift sled
and took you out into the white, cold day
so you could taste and feel ...

... WINTER!
love you forever, Baba

(photos borrowed, without permission, from
http://www.danandjennyh.blogspot.com/)

(s)no(w) days

Back in the 1960's, snow days (that is, no school due to snow) were announced over the radio, crackling into our kitchen on Fernwood Drive in Simsbury, Connecticut. It took a LOT of snow in New England for school to cancel, but when it did, the announcements droned on for - no joke - probably a half hour. The famed Bob Steele of WTIC radio, in his smooth baritone voice, would read the school closings so slowly and deliberately that I nearly fell back asleep while eating my oatmeal.

I remember coming in from hours of snow play and turning on - a special broadcast only on snow days - "Snowbound Theater" - on TV. Because, kids, we had no DVDs or T-Vo ya know!

Now, 45 years later, moms need only pull up the local listings online and instantly know delays or closings. It's taken the anticipation away, if you ask me. Darn kids don't even have to get out of bed before mom hollers, "no school today!"

My own kids floated somewhere in between the era of radio announcements and cyber-announcements. During the 90's, we'd flip on the local TV station and wait for the cancellations to zip along the bottom of the screen.


I know it's status quo for moms to complain about snow days, but I kind of liked them. We'd stay in p.j.'s all morning, leisurely eating homemade waffles. Then we'd mount a massive play-in-the-snow campaign in which all coats, hats, scarves, mittens and boots were called into service. And within a couple of hours, I'd be muttering and mopping up puddles from tracked-in snow. Those were some intense but fun days.

Well. Now I have no school kids at home. If I hear snow's on the way, I just make sure I have soup makings on hand and line up some reading and writing on my desk.

I heard from my peeps down south that today's a snow day. Enjoy some waffles for me!