Snow Days

Last night I spent 2 hours driving home in the midst of a snow storm. My bride had already been informed that school was closed on Friday, so I was going to make one stop at the grocery store and then home for the night.
As I drove further south, the snow deepened. The freeways were stopped, so I jumped off the main roads and meandered my way towards home.

I pulled into the subdivision and only then remembered that our house sits at the very pinnacle of a hill. Our front sidewalk branches at the street and literally goes downhill both ways. So I crept my way up the alley, maneuvering around a neighbor's Excursion stuck halfway into his driveway, and found I couldn't get my little red Ranger into my driveway. Having been forewarned by my bride who drives a Blazer with 4WD, I circled the block and skidded to a stop on the street in front of my house. Two loads of groceries and my laptop later, I was in for the night.

We fixed a great white, chicken chili recipe that my eldest had texted to me (new technology is great)and settled in to read..because the dishnetwork was not working. At 9PM I was coaxed to call the Dish network folks and the highly complicated fix to the 21st century technology was to go outside and brush all the snow off with a broom. I felt very self-sufficient. The TV was working before I got back inside. The bride was pleased, I was soggy.

This morning we awakened to 14" of snow, and an inability to get out of the driveway. I looked at all that snow, estimated that there might be several tons of the stuff and decided to let nature take its course.

It was at this point that I found that I live with a kid. For a normally cold-natured (hates anything under 75 degrees) this one was pulling on gloves and boots, head cover and jeans. She was thrilled to go outside in all the snow. So we bundled up and stomped our way to the street and took pictures and marveled at the trees and bushes, shook the snow out of the small oaks in the front yard. I was done..cold and damp are not my friends. But this woman that I married couldn't get enough, she opened all the blinds, took pictures, pointed out the way snow was stacked on the patio furniture (that was pretty cool) and all the yard art.

Maggie the mini-beagle was a lot less enthusiastic. She was torn between HAVING to go outside and WANTING to stay inside. I will say that snow as high as your head might be a little intimidating. So I think she will spend the next couple of days "holding it" until she absolutely has to go outside, then creep along the base of the house looking for an open spot.

But it nice to know that "snow days" still bring out the kid in my bride. I, on the other hand, get to play my favorite role of old curmudgeon. I'm pretty good at it.

Godspeed out there, dig us out if you haven't heard from us by spring.
Don