Loose Ends: Snow Days!

My kids aren’t snow day school age anymore, and I’m most definitely not, but I still get a smile on my face when I hear those two magical words, “snow day.” I was supposed to work today, assessing elementary school students’ reading levels, but it snowed. Our phone rang at 6 am and the recorded message announced that Puyallup’s schools would be on a 2-hour delay.

Not long after that, the phone rang again and the leader of our DIBELs team, Sunny, explained that there was no sense in us reporting for work because the first and second graders had such a shortened day, there wouldn’t be much time for us to test them. I hung up, and whispered an excited, “YES!” not wanting to wake the dog up.

There was 3” of snow on the ground. I pictured a day spent as a lady of leisure. Visions of hot cocoa, painting fingernails, reading a book, and quilting danced in my head. Of course that’s not what happened.

While I made breakfast, I started clearing out the remains of Christmas cookies, candy, and crackers. That led to cleaning out the refrigerator after breakfast, which then led to cleaning a couple of shelves in the pantry.

Then I sat down at my desk to pay a few bills. Our mailbox is across the street from our house, closer than a stone’s throw. It seemed a lot longer in the snow. After I slipped four times, almost landing on the bills as well as my butt before I got even halfway to the end of our driveway, I decided I better go back into the house and put my boots on.

It was still slick out there, but I made it to the mailbox without falling. Skipping the snow shovel, I kicked the snow off the sidewalk and our front steps with my boots.

More snow was predicted, so I started thinking of comfort food, and decided that macaroni and cheese would be perfect for dinner. Once I got it made, it would be fairly easy to re-heat on the woodstove if we lost power. I’d need more milk. That meant I’d have to make a run to Wal-Mart for “supplies”—more cheese, Milk bones for the dogs, and canned cat food.

Back at home, before I even entered the house, I looked at the mess in the garage and started hauling stuff out to throw into the recycling bin before it got buried in snow. I checked how many logs we had stored in case of a power outage. If we lost electricity, the woodstove would be our only source of heat. We were low, but John said we’d be alright for a few days if the power went out. It was sunny outside and it had warmed up enough to melt the snow on the streets, but the news kept warning that Snow-mageddon was coming.

As I put the groceries away, Sarah K. came in. One of us got the idea that we should put Pippin out in his first snow to watch his reaction. He was cautious and curious. He got low to stalk it, smelled it, and stepped carefully.

Pippin's first snow experience.

After the snowy Pippin entertainment, it was time to make myself a cup of cocoa and head to my sewing area for some quilting. That’s when the phone rang. It was Sarah in Pullman. She needed me to give her money so she could pay for some upcoming piano adjudications. I got back in the car and headed for her bank.

At home again, it was time to start making the mac and cheese. While I was stirring the cheddar cheese into the white sauce, the Puyallup school district called to say that “due to a severe weather warning issued by the National Weather Center, school is cancelled tomorrow.”

After we’d eaten and the dishes were done, I did have my mug of cocoa. I didn’t get around to sitting at my sewing machine, but that was partly because I’m sure I’ll get to it tomorrow.

Snow Day 2: Overnight we got more snow, totaling about 6-7 inches.

Mr. Honolulu says, 6-1/4 inches.

Sarah called at a quarter of eight from WSU to say they got about 18” of the white stuff in Pullman. She was ticked because classes were still on in Pullman, and she was missing one of each of her pairs of gloves. I told her to put a sock on her other hand, and make sure she wears her snow boots. She complained that they cancelled classes at UW in Seattle. Isn’t it ironic that Huskies can’t handle snow? Cougars can.

Then I passed on a story that Johnny told me last night. In 2008, for the first time in WSU’s history, they actually did cancel classes. The snow was as high as car hoods. The following year when the snows started, students complained about having to go to class. President Floyd, who lives just down the street from Sarah’s apartment, responded that he’d been walking around the snowy campus checking conditions, and overheard some students saying they were going to walk to Dissmore’s (a grocery store at the bottom of a steep hill) to buy beer. He said that if students could walk to get beer, they could walk to class. Sarah laughed a little, and then said that she had to put her regular shoes in a bag, and get going.


A "cleared" walkway at WSU, picture courtesy of Jerica Britcher.

I’ve spent the day taking pictures of the snow and watching cars and people try to get up the hill in front of our house. The dogs have been barking at sledders and kids on inner tubes playing on our street. My Dad called from Hawaii to check up on us. After lunch, I have an appointment with my sewing machine unless I get the snowshoes out.