Snow Days

I woke up to a few inches of snow this morning, and had to be driven to work by my hero husband. :)My job is usually done from my house; but on certain days my job requires that I sit with an elderly lady and oversee meals, daily activities, and medications. So I have a lot of time to read, reflect, and remember.

Oh, and shop on line. But that is a different story.

Kids who (are blessed that they) live in the Southern United States know how special, and exciting, and fun snow days are! And even though my mom home schooled my siblings and me, we didn't have to do our schoolwork on those rare winter weather days.
It was especially rare for us, moving here from Florida in the mid 80's. When I was about 6 or 7, I remember we had one really huge snowfall, about a foot. Then for years, winters in North Carolina were pretty mild, often warm, and we certainly never got measurable snow - except for those rare occasions.

Snow days always began with bundling up and playing in the snow until we were wet and cold. My parent's house is perched on a tall hill, with a steep driveway that was perfect for sledding, as was the streets around our small village.

Mom would toss our wet clothes in the dryer and feed us a lunch of tomato soup and grilled cheese; and hot cocoa with lots of poofy marshmallows on top! Then we'd put on the warm clothes, toasty from the dryer, and go out again! Dad would usually play his guitar and sing; and mom would sew clean things.


As we got older, snow days were still exciting; but in my teen years, the first order of a snow day was to feed our horses, and feed the horses at the other horse farm I worked on; which entailed driving around the countryside - always risky for Southerners who don't have a lot of winter weather driving experience.

In 1996 we had a "southern blizzard" in the Carolinas and into Virginia; a surprise snow storm that dumped 8 - 10 inches of snow and then ice all in one evening. We didn't have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, and my Dad, sister and I had to load the horse's feed onto sleds and trudge down the 3/4 mile driveway to feed the horses at the farm I worked on.

In our teen years, my sister and I were allowed to go out after dark with our neighbors for evening sledding parties; because the snow re-froze after dark and the sledding was superb - and fast!

Today, for the most part, I do not like winter weather and extreme cold. And it has been extremely cold in my Southern home recently.
But I still like snow days for the stillness they cast on the world; and how all busyness stops. I like being snuggled in my toasty farm cottage with our wood stoves roaring and my kitties cuddled all around. And this year, we have a puppy to cuddle also.

I still have those horse chores; made simpler now because I have a big, 4 wheel drive truck to navigate the farms in.
I love bundling up and bringing my horses in to their stalls, with their deep pine shavings bed; hearing the munching of hay and grain; and seeing them all bundled in their blankets.

Once chores are done I like to bake something, or make some soup. Watch movies in my PJ's under a quilt with something hot to drink; and maybe doze off. And then I like to make a big hearty dinner, like pot roast, or Spaghetti.

That's what I'd like to be doing today - but I'm working. Oh well.