Postscript

The weatherman was right. We did have snow. Unfortunately we had freezing rain first, then sleet, then snow that left our streets coated with ice. Facebook posters and national news commentators made numerous comments about us being shut down over such a small amount of snow. We should have been prepared, they said. And how were we supposed to do that? First of all, we didn't know that Mother Nature would change not only her time schedule, but the temperature and type of precipitation.

Yes, we've had ice before - but the last time I remember anything even vaguely like ice to this extent was in 1982. We don't buy snowplows and stock chemicals for something that happens maybe every thirty-plus years or less. Snow tires or chains? Most of us in the South have never even seen them. Comments about lack of skill for driving in this? What are we supposed to do - construct an ice field somewhere and run us all through it as part of our driving exam? And as best I can tell, even the most experienced driver can get into a real mess when ice is involved.

And you laughed about some of our schools closing. Some didn't, and hundreds of children were stranded overnight and longer because the roads became impassable when the storm moved in much earlier and further north than expected. School buses couldn't run, parents couldn't reach the schools. As a former teacher I can say from personal experience, most people do not realize how seriously teachers take their jobs. Nor do those outside the field understand how much responsibility each teacher takes on every time she or he enters the classroom for the day. Teaching the content of the curriculum is but a small part of the job. To all those teachers who not only stayed with stranded students, some of whom had possibly never spent a night away from home, but made them feel safe and secure, I want to say "Thank you."

Did the Weatherman Say SNOW?

For several years I have attended a week-long summer institute in July held in Radford, Virginia. Around a thousand gather there – families, singles – all ages from infants to some in their nineties. They come from all over the United States along with a few from foreign countries. Spending the week there has given me the opportunity to make friends a wide variety of people.

When some of them realize that I live not just in the Deep South, but in south Alabama, the question often arises: “How can you live there?” It didn’t take many times for me to figure out what was behind their question, and given the time it often leads to wonderful discussions. If time doesn’t permit or I think the person is not really open to discussion, having already made up his or her mind about our area, I answer “January.”

Most of the questioners are from those areas of the country where January is always cold, often with snow and ice. I mention that our cold season is from December through February with an average daily high of 63° F., and that by mid-March the daffodils are blooming. Sometimes I just can’t help myself!

Our weather was unusual for a few days in the past weeks, with colder than usual temperatures that led to closing schools or delaying opening. No doubt that amused our neighbors from cold climates. They didn’t realize that we rarely have weather like that, so often a sweatshirt will suffice. Few if any of the children have clothing appropriate for standing at the bus stops when the wind chill is in the teens or lower.

Snow is predicted for tomorrow, and again our weather-hardy friends will wonder why even a little of it shuts down everything here. Think about it though – most of us have never even seen a snow plough since none of our cities own even one, and the state doesn’t have any of that stuff that keeps the overpasses and roadways from freezing. Our best hope is that the sand they scatter about can make for a little less slipping and sliding, and that people who have rarely seen icy roads will stay off them.

There is the also matter of ice on the lines that causes them to snap, leaving us without power or phones. It could happen, so I guess I’d better end for now and make a grocery store run before all the bread, batteries, and candles are gone. Stay warm friends!

 

Snowflakes and Candy Canes

Some people put up their Christmas trees on Thanksgiving afternoon and take them down the day after Christmas. I am not one of those people. I tend to run much later. My excuse for taking them down later is that at least some of my elders believed you should leave them up until January 6 or, as they called it, “Old Christmas.”  Actually it’s just that I’m either lazy or really hate to give up little white lights, wherever they may be. But at some point that day arrives when I can’t take the clutter any longer and have to get my house back to a somewhat normal state.

To those of you who don’t know me, I was a teacher for many years, surrounded by students for most of the year. Then there was our family. Before the last of our children left home, my parents moved in with us. In 2005 everything changed. I was no longer teaching, and the last inhabitant of the house other than me died. Suddenly I was alone, for the first time in my life, and to say this was an adjustment is an understatement. I must add, however, that I’ve always been a night owl, the tendency perhaps fueled by needing at least a few minutes without people. If I stayed up late enough, I could have at least an hour or so of solitude. Seven years ago I moved from the large house with attached apartment that previously held all of us to a small townhouse. I’ve become accustomed to not having others around, and actually love the quietness and order of my much smaller space.

Patient, readers, I’m about to get to the snowflakes and candy canes part. Over the holidays, three of my four sons, their wives, and five of the grandchildren decided to all come at the same time. It was wonderful! Yes, it was crowded. Sleeping eleven extra people makes for a lot of togetherness, so air mattresses and camping gear were everywhere. Total chaos part of the time, but very happy chaos. Among the activities was a cookie experience. One son found cookie kits for Ugly Christmas Sweater cookies and Ninja Gingerbread Men cookies. He baked the cookies, then everyone gathered by turns at the dining table in the living/dining area to vie for the decorating bags of red, green, and white frosting along with a variety of decorating candy additions: snowflakes, candy canes, silver dragées, sprinkles, stars, colored sugars, jimmies – all very tiny and difficult for both young and adult hands to keep from dropping.

The last left on January 4. Umpteen loads of laundry later, and with most of the decorations down, my house is more or less back to order. And quiet, very quiet. I’ll miss them, but they left me a few reminders. Even after sweeping, mopping, or vacuuming the various rooms, I’m still finding some of those little tiny candies from the cookie marathon – snowflakes and candy canes that make me smile.