Thursday, January 17, 2008

I SAID I wanted a snow day

Here's something I hate: the weatherpeople predict snow; they point to your county, colored purple, sitting squarely in the "winter weather advisory" zone; they flash pictures of areas south where snow is already falling, loop radar images of the storm zooming your way; schools announce delays; snow-fearing southerners flock to the grocery store for milk and bread; you start to imagine your snow day: kids home, fire in the fireplace, noses drippy and red from sledding in the backyard; Paige stomping through her first snow.

You wake up early the next morning. Right away you scurry to the window, sure you'll raise the blinds to find the promised winter wonderland.

And it's raining.

Muddy, cold, wet, unlovely rain. Schools are not closed. Classes at the college where you teach will be held. No sledding nor hot chocolate. All that lies before you is a chilly wet drive to school, a chilly wet drive home. Maybe some laundry.

Well today John and I said no. No to simple rain. No to that chilly, wet drive. No to getting up at the crack of dawn to get Owen ready for school when we'd been up until 2 am the night before, watching bad TV and reading magazines, sure we'd get to sleep in because bad-hair weatherguy all but guaranteed ice and snow.

At 6:00 this morning, John got up, saw the sogginess outside, turned on the TV and heard that it had snowed and iced a little at about 4:00. Bad-hair morning weather guy said there could be a very few icy patches on bridges and overpasses. And that was enough for John. I heard him pad back down the hall, snap off the bathroom light, and get back in bed.

A few minutes later, I got up to see for myself, thinking that John's snoring meant the winter weather fairy had come. But no. I called the inclement weather line at Owen's school, where a flat, unfeeling voice told me the school was open. Then I went and gave John a shake. "You do realize it's only raining." John cracked one eye. "It was icy earlier," he muttered. "It's a 20 miles drive. Too dangerous." Noticing my skepticism, he made the play he knew would ensure his victory: "You can take him if you want to." Out the window behind him, I could see the gray, 33 degree morning. "No no," I said. "I agree. We shouldn't take any chances." And we snuggled back under the quilt, re-claiming out lost snow day, refusing to let the dream die.

There was no snowman, no fire, no snuffly noses, but I did spend the morning playing games and coloring. I took a catnap with Paige and stole an hour for sewing while the boys watched a movie. We had mac and cheese for lunch with Little Debbie valentine cakes for dessert. Yes, the day would have been made cozier by a few snowflakes, but all in all, it was one of those lovely quiet days when you don't go anywhere and everyone is lazy and no one feels bad about it even though it's Thursday and your 6 year old is supposed to be at kindergarten.

Everyone deserves a "no day" now and then, a day to say "no" to losing your snow day because temperatures crept a few degrees above freezing, because the storm lollygagged and swept in too late. In North Carolina, we are frequent victims of the "it will snow if the conditions are exactly right and the forces of nature align perfectly" forecast.

This morning, we were in no mood to be disappointed.

12 comments:

Mandy said...

I love this. I'm still waiting for my snow day here, too. Great blog!

S said...

I'm so glad you guys seized the day. You just have to do that sometimes. A mental health day is a beautiful thing.

We have the opposite problem where I am -- too MANY snow days.

Blair said...

its snowing today!!! however, its not the same when it snows over the weekend. remember sitting in the kitchen in Richmond waiting for the radio to tell us St. Michael's School was canceled? i feel like it snowed every winter in Richmond... and not a soggy rain snow, a real, get the sled out and buckle your pink snow suit, kinda snow. those days were the best.

Ashley said...

No. No it's NOT snowing today. Not like they said it would. Here I sit at 10:15 on the day they said it would snow 2-4 inches...with trace amounts on the ground. Poo. Another deflated hope for snow.

Blair said...

PS: As a teacher, I'm ashamed of you.

MadMad said...

ALL RIGHT! Way to take charge! I HATE when you are sure there is going to be a snow day and then there isn't.

But I also hate when there is, sometimes, too.

But still. Good for you, getting what you want!

MadMad said...

Oh, yeah. And what your sister said. The SECOND time. Naughty, naughty. ;)

Victoria said...

Okay, we *did* get a snow day (and we're in NC) and it was CRAZY! We also had a two hour delay on Friday. =)

Anonymous said...

I'll have to remember to call it "No Day" from now on! We took one of those yesterday----we had a windchill of -30 degrees. And with an infant with RSV and a 2 yr old, and my hubby out of town, I said, "Forget it. It's only kindergarten."
I kinda felt like a rebel!

Aliki2006 said...

Oh, I'm just reading this now! I'm right with you--I hate the disappointments around here--L. wanted to sled so badly and all we got was that lousy, cold rain.

Blech.

Aliki2006 said...

Oh, I'm just reading this now! I'm right with you--I hate the disappointments around here--L. wanted to sled so badly and all we got was that lousy, cold rain.

Blech.

Christine said...

We moved to Ohio from California (2005)and feel like the too-cold winters are a bit much with two active boys. I was just checking out North Carolina online last week, wondering if housing prices were low enough for me to continue to stay home. Can you suggest a lower-priced but safe area to research? Maybe that has 3 bedrooms under $150,000? Thanks!

This is such a sweet post! I love all the details you give. I see that enough detail is one of the things missing from my own writing. It's ironic that adding details is exactly what I used to emphasize with my first graders, and it's something I still need to work on myself!