Snow????

It’s COLD and snow is predicted for Sunday.  I am not amused.  I did snow for 16 years in Connecticut and know how snow affects my driving.  I don’t like to feel the car shift into a skid when I apply the brakes on snowy streets – especially if the only thing in front of me is another car waiting to be hit.  I hate how I end up hunched over the wheel, looking for a safe way through the slush, praying that I can get home in one piece.  Now, granted my part of Portland is not terribly hilly as was my neighborhood in Connecticut but it also doesn’t get a lot of snow here.  I suspect the number of show plows is limited - and given that my neighborhood is somewhat isolated, I suspect my street will NOT be on any priority list!

The other challenge is walking on anything icy.  I never figured out how to do it.  I would watch in amazement as my students in Connecticut strode carelessly across sheets of ice while I minced.  I minced while waving my arms for added stability.  I minced while I held on for dear life to anyone or anything nearby.  I suspect I made quite a show.  Even so I STILL slid and landed on my tush with some regularity and that was in my 20s – not interested in doing the same in my 60s!  I have these thingies that strap onto the bottom of my shoes that are like mini car tire chains.  I keep one set in the trunk and one set inside so now the mincing will be even more interesting.  Kind of like training wheels for the hopelessly klutzy.  The challenge – which steps to use?  The front steps are cement with no railing in sight – not going to happen.  I can see me hitting the ice and sliding right down the 4 steps.  The back steps are wood – again no railing but at least they aren’t cement.  I think the wiser thing to do is to not go out.  I can do it.  I have heat, I have soup in the freezer, I have books and TV.  And maybe it won’t snow. 

You know, there is one thing I do miss about snow in Connecticut – the wonder of snow days.  I remember waking up, noting the snow outside then eagerly tuning the radio to the local news station.  Every 5 minutes or so they would read the updated list of school closures.  I taught in Norwalk, Gary taught in Stamford and they read the list alphabetically.  I started praying around Milford – “please, please, please, dear God, let Norwalk be on the list!”  Then we listened for Stamford.  I was most annoyed if his school were closed while mine stayed open – and vice versa of course.  Most times if one were closed, so was the other.  And then we would smile in delight, collapse back into bed and pull up the covers.  The children were equally delighted.  Once we were all up, time to pull out the skates, sleds and mittens.

But that was then and this is now – no snow please.