Today the forecast is calling for about 7 inches of snow. Federal government is closed. Area schools are closed. I keep looking out the window, but the snowflakes have yet to descend upon us.
I remember moving to the top of a mountain just outside Salt Lake City. It was November, and the forecast called for 6-8 inches of snow. I looked at the school's website to see what their snow policy was and could not locate it. I rang the school and asked about snow days. "Ma'am?" "Snow days. I would like to know the school's policy for snow days." "Ma'am? Snow days?" "Like when the school is closed due to snows." "Ma'am, I have worked at this elementary school for over 22 years, and we have never closed the school for snow." Welcome to the West! The school bus stop was 3.5 miles down the mountain. The buses were not able to navigate to the top. I thought we were fine with an all-wheel drive vehicle. We were not. We purchased a taxi-cab yellow Jeep, which served us well.
Yes, I was here for Snowmaggedon, the Snowpocalypse. I realized that the reason this area becomes paralyzed is that there is just nowhere to put the snows! If it does not get warm enough for the packed snows to melt, the plows have nowhere else to put the newly cleared snows. There is also a large number of our population that lives here now, but are transplanted from more tropical climates, meaning, no experience driving in icy conditions.
Today, thanks to this laptop and a so-far stable internet connection, I can work from home. I can still be productive, with the fire blazing in the wood stove. It is a great thing to not have to waste time commuting, and to devote my concentrated efforts in being purely productive. Snow days? An opportunity to be thankful for turtlenecks, hoodies, and electricity.
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