Last night when I got in my car at 6pm and started to leave campus, the inside of my windows frosted over. That doesn’t happen very often, even up here in Rochester. The subzero temperatures (no, I’m not exaggerating) had chilled my car to the point that the moisture from my breath was instantly freezing on the inside of the windows, making it impossible for me to see. I cranked up the defrost (not very helpful when the engine’s still frigid), and when that proved useless after nearly ten minutes, I used a credit card to scrape the frost off before proceeding out onto the roads.
Apparently the local school district officials noted the effect of the plunging temperatures, too, because most school districts in the county are closed today.
I think my body knew I should have had a snow day today. At 6:45am I started trying to wake up, but sleep kept reaching up and pulling me back under. At 7:10 I finally got myself into the shower, and as I emerged from the steamy bathroom, I heard the phone ring. My 9-year-old shouted “I got it!”, and a few moments later I heard a shriek of delight. “Snow day! It’s a snow day! Jackson says it’s a snow day!!!”
This was followed immediately by my 7-year-old saying “Well, Lane, we really shouuld check the web site and see if that’s true.”
My, how things have changed.
Back in my day, growing up in Buffalo, I can remember clearly how we hoped for snow days in the winter. I had a clock radio by my bed (one of the early ones, with the numbers on little rolodex-like pages that actually flipped every minute), and before I’d climb out from under the warm covers, I’d turn on WKBW radio (1520AM) and listen to Danny Neaverth read the school closings. There were usually a lot—this was Buffalo after all—and my school district came late in the list. I’d listen to him drone through the list…”Akron Central…Albion Central…etc…Starpoint Central…” And that’s when I’d perk up. Starpoint was almost always closed, since it tended to get a lot of lake effect snow. But if my school was closed, it would follow right after Starpoint. “…Sweet Home Central…” Woohoo! Sweet freedom! Off went the radio, and after shouting “Mom! It’s a snow day!” I could burrow right back under the covers and go back to sleep.
No such luxury for me today. I kissed the kids goodbye at 7:40, and headed out into the frigid weather for my 8am web design class. And now I’m safe and warm in my office, coffee mug nearby, looking out at the gray skies and drifting snow. There are worse places to be on a cold day than in a warm office. But all things considered, I’d rather be home, like Weez, drinking hot chocolate with my boys and sitting by a warm fireplace. That much hasn’t changed much since I was their age.
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