Snow Day

Currently Reading: WOW! I really enjoyed Heart of the Bear, and can hardly wait to read the next one! Had to do some 'tweaking' to my TBB list; one of the websites is having a problem, and so I've had to push Grace Tyler's book back until I can buy it. Ended up getting Legs by Dee Dawning, Something to Remember by Kathy Otten, and Beg Me by Desiree Holt.


I have to agree with Carol on this one. What is it about a 4-letter word that can send rational behavior out the window?

S-N-O-W.

It excited the kids, causing those who normally can't be dragged out of bed in the morning unless threatedened with bodily harm to pop up anxiously in the mornings: "Do we have a delay? Are we closed?"

It causes dread in working parents, because now they have to leave extra early in order to get little ones to sitters (or even find a back-up!) or leave their older ones at home to fend for themselves. And try to get to work on time SAFELY.

This is one time of year I'm so thankful I don't work outside the home! Yes, I still have to get up to watch the ticker, but I am guarenteed a couple of peaceful hours as my older ones return to bed. The toddler will pop up about an hour after his 'normal' wake-up time and complain he doesn't have school! But I don't have to worry about idiots who forget how to drive when there is snow and ice on the roads, or employers who bitch if you've not clocked in on time, or if your car won't start.

Nearly twenty years ago, I was happily working at my first job after college. I started in early August, and until early October, I arrived early every morning to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and joke with my boss. But when I moved into my first apartment, thirty miles away, traveling became a nightmare.

The first week went smoothly. I discovered a strange traffic phenomenon: If I left my apartment at 6:29 am, I usually arrived around 7, and had 30 minutes to enjoy my hot chocolate and check to see which kids on my route did not need picked up. BUT...if I left at 6:30 or 6:31, I barely made it to work on time, causing my boss to shake his head and ask me if I'd overslept. Thankfully, he was understanding of my commute and once the white stuff arrived (snow/frost) he would have my 'bus' (it was actually a station wagon) warm, defrosted, and waiting for me. Sometimes he'd even have a cup of hot chocolate for me before telling me which houses I could skip and shooing me out of the office.

Indiana had a bad early snowstorm that year, and I soon began to hate my job. Why couldn't we close, or even delay school for two hours? That also happened to be the year I had left my winter clothing at my mom's, thinking I had at least until Halloween before getting out the heavy clothes. Nope; I needed them on the 17th. I came up with some pretty ugly fashions as I tried to stay warm. My uniform didn't keep me warm enough, so I layered whatever I could beneath my blue shirt and pants, and the jacket with my name on it? Forget it! I needed my heavy winter coat.

And then there were the parents and kids. Some kids were self-sufficient and ran ahead of their moms to jump in the car and buckle themselves in. But most were special needs, and I'd climb out of my warm seat to assist the parents with some of the complicated buckles and harnesses. That system is now outdated; for instance, in the middle seat, I had a child in a car seat, and two kids on either side, two per seatbelt. Two more car seats were in the very back, and I had three more in the front seat with me. Yeah; my morning route was PACKED! And I had one child who lived a block from the school; sometimes he wasn't ready at 7:45, so I'd loop around and pick him up closer to 9, resenting the fact his mother wouldn't simply bring him in herself, or hadn't called to let me know in advance.

The day I really hated was the day Indiana got hit with about a foot of snow. Fortunately, school was cancelled, but I still had to drive in. I really wish cell phones had existed back then (they were called 'mobile phones' and only the 'important' people carried them. For a green college grad, they were waaaay too expensive! Besides, who needed a phone when there were PAY PHONES on practically every corner?). I was trapped in stop-and-go traffic once I hit the interstate and what normally took thirty minutes turned into three hours. I stumbled into the office around 10am, having been in the wrong lane to pull off and phone in. My boss smiled, gave me the 'glad-you-made-it-I-was-worried-about-you' relieved look, and told me he'd let me go home early. Everyone had been late that day.

What was your worst experience in trying to get to work? Or have a particular traffic nightmare to share?

"Outa My Way!"
Yesterday, my spouse decided to go get a few items we needed, and came home amazed by the amount of 'insane' people were grabbing food items as if they hadn't been shopping in two months. The meat bins were empty; the checkout lines were full...he was lucky enough to get two packages of hamburger and two gallons of milk. But the steaks that were on sale? Not today! Everything was already sold. He might venture out later this afternoon for the laundry products I need; otherwise, it will wait until Thursday.

If you must travel today, I'm so sorry. Come by my house; the coffee is on and you can call the office and tell your boss there are too many idiots on the road; you'll be in later this afternoon. I'll let you warm up with Heart of the Bear (see above!) or any other e-book you want to read!