Snowstorms and Celebrations
Oh my goodness. Goodness goodness. Today was a snow day in every possible way: a day of no school, no work, much celebrating, and snow. A whole lotta snow.
Last night, Hubby enjoyed endless confetti snow as his team won the most heart-attack provoking Superbowl game ever. I was listening at home, cuddled up with the kids. They had fallen asleep to their daddy’s voice on the radio, volume low, the tones grave, given that the team was waaay behind at that point. I was even dozing off…
Okay, I need to confess here, but don’t tell my husband: I actually fell asleep. I woke up at the end of the game, a little groggy. Then I heard the winning pronouncement, hopped right up out of bed, and spent the next two hours catching up on the audio and video highlights, the Facebook messages, the Twitter feed… I re-lived the game.
The fact that there was a winter storm on the way didn’t fully enter my consciousness until this morning. I had had a vague idea that it was going to be messy, but I’d get into work okay, and see a few folks in my afternoon clinic.
But I peeked out the window around 7 a.m. and realized that it was much more likely that I’d spend another day snowbound with the kids.
Which I did. Rewind to last week’s blizzard, and that was us again. Except this time, a kind neighbor took Babygirl for the afternoon so that Babyboy and I could get some serious shoveling done. And we did. We ventured out after lunch, right around the time the snow was supposed to taper down and stop. But it didn’t. I cleaned off the car, shoveled the steps and part of the driveway, then had to go back and do it again as so much snow had accumulated. Babyboy ran and jumped and slid and laughed. I got a crick in my neck and my back started stiffening… This snow is alot heavier than the blizzard snow.
Then, the temperature dropped. It went from about thirty to fifteen degrees, and with the wind chill, it was… way cold. Babyboy is totally stoic, never complains about the cold. I looked over at him after almost two hours out in what really felt worse than last week’s blizzard, and I realized he was getting frostbitten. His rosy red cheeks were dotted with stark white spots; nose too. My hands felt the same, despite my heavy-duty Vermont- tested thinsulate waterproof gloves. We retreated indoors.
Meantime, a saintly next-door neighbor came ’round the corner with a snowblower, and finished the walk and sidewalk and the massive plow-mound at the end of our driveway. Hallelujah! Of course, it snowed more after that, and then the plows plowed us in again. I was wondering how on earth I was going to clear it. But, after dark, our other saintly neighbors came by with their snowblower and re-cleared me out. Now there’s something to celebrate!
All this time Hubby was keeping me updated on his status. The team left on the first plane. He and the rest of the radio staff were assigned to the second plane. But, there’s still no second plane. He’s still in Arizona. He’s been up for 36 hours… It was quite a party after the win. He’s exhausted, but elated.
Me too… Physically exhausted from snow shoveling and the kids, but emotionally elated for him, for the team. And even though this storm has delayed his return, and my mother and I will have to rally and tag-team on childcare early tomorrow, there is always something magical about the snow.
When Babyboy and I ventured out after dinner to pick Babygirl up from our neighbors’, it was dark out, but it wasn’t dark. Streetlights and porch lights reflected off of every surface. The roads, trees, roofs, sidewalks, everything is totally whited out. Our footfalls and rustling layers sounded extra-crunchy and crisp in the clean, freezing air. It was so quiet on the walk  back to our house. I mean, the kids weren’t quiet, they were running and kicking up and knocking down snow, hooting and giggling. But, the street was quiet. This is a heavily traveled road we live on, and there was no one, just distant scrapes and beeps from a big town plow.
Well, the kids are asleep, the snow has stopped, Hubby’s due back tomorrow morning (if that second plane shows overnight), and my back is about as stiff as it’s ever been.
It’s all good.