Monday, February 23, 2015

Snowed In

Ok, so we're far from snowed in here in Texas. But with rain in the forecast and temperatures not expected to climb out of the 30's, today is nearly as bad as it gets in our neck of the woods.

When you live up north, out east, or in the Midwest (and despite what we regularly saw on the news last week), getting truly snowed in doesn't happen very often. I've mentioned previously that between kindergarten and 12th grade we had a grand total of five school snow days, only three of which actually had to do with snow; cities that receive such massive amounts of the white stuff know how to deal with it and do so in a way that impacts citizens as minimally as possible. I used to wish, while lying in bed on winter nights, for the plow that cleared our alley to break down or run out of gas so that my mom couldn't get her car out of the garage to drive me to school. And then the one time the plow actually did break down (or run out of gas - I don't know what exactly happened to it, only that it didn't arrive at its regular time), my mom made me walk to school.

Now that I think about it, the snow has only forced me to remain inside - "snowed in" in the true sense of the phrase - one time.

While spending the Christmas holiday at the Lincoln Lodge, which lies on picturesque Booth Lake about 10 miles outside of Minocqua, Wisconsin, we found ourselves with plenty of snow to play in but not quite enough to keep us from taking our daily trip into town for shopping. You know, just 20 or so inches.
Will's made-from-a-plastic-tub sled.
He loved it and found it extremely comfortable,
so much so that he eventually took a nap in it.
I was on the other end of that vicious snowball throw.
Me and my "Christmas Story" boy. Will could barely
move, let alone walk in snow, in his snow pants and coat.
When an additional foot of heavy, wet snow fell in the early morning hours, the Minocqua plows successfully cleared the city roads but couldn't make it out to the county and lake roads until the following day. Because the county and lake roads remained covered with snow, the man who plowed the Lincoln Lodge driveway couldn't do his job until the following day either. We were unable to leave the house, not only because the roads weren't plowed and the long driveway wasn't plowed and the cars were buried, but because we the front or back doors had been barricaded shut with snow.

We had everything we needed: a stocked refrigerator, running water, wood for the fireplace, an assortment of DVDs, good books, new Christmas toys for Will to play with, plenty of wine, and multiple boxes of Bertie Bott's Beans. Back then we didn't have internet nor did our cell phones work at the Lodge, so the Red Cross and the University of Michigan - my and Tom's employers at the time - couldn't contact us with even the most basic work- or school-related questions. Tom's dad is a doctor, and I knew he could handle any health issues Will, who was only 15-months-old at the time, might develop.

Other than occasionally feeding Will and changing his diaper, I had very few responsibilities to worry about…and it was GLORIOUS. *

As I lay in bed last night I found myself wishing that a forecast of rain and temperatures not to climb out of the 30's was enough to keep me snowed in today. I could really use another glorious day "off"...a day to spend curled up on the couch with a good book…a day without places to go and work to be done…a day with very few responsibilities to worry about. And I'd have fewer responsibilities this time around, seeing as my kids can pull their own snacks out of the refrigerator and pantry and are almost fully potty trained.

So if anyone out there has pull with or a connection to Mother Nature, won't you please let her know I desperately need a snow day?

* I readily acknowledge that if we'd been snowed in for more than a day or two I'd have gone stir crazy. Sorry, Boston

No comments:

Post a Comment