SNOW DAYS

last week the entire southeast was shutdown. shutdown due to a massive winter storm. winter storm leon impacted nine states. even florida got snow! however, many will say us southerners "overreacted" to a "few inches of snow". those people are also known as the rest of the US. in my little town we got 1" of ice with 4.5 inches of snow on top of that. that is a big deal. mainly because we do not have the resources to deal with that kind of winter weather. we have three snow plows. three. i am sure the city of new york has three snow plows for one city block.

i know that winter weather makes southerners act ridiculous. let's just get that established and out of the way.

we are not well versed in snow. my town's average annual snowfall is 2.5 inches. the national average is 23 inches. so yeah, snow is kind of a big deal. snowfall = snow days. hell, just the threat of snow equals a snow day. it's ridiculous, yet true. the reason this happens is because...

we are unprepared for snow. sure we have some salt to put on the roads. but we ran out of salt during leon. we had none [how does that happen?]. however, in our defense, we really have zero motivation to be prepared for a snow storm. again, our annual snowfall 2.5 inches. it's not much. and typically those 2.5 inches occur over many light snow storms and flurries. so there is no need for a plow or salt. and the best news about snow in the south? it melts two days later. why? because it is now 60 degrees, that's why. we can just let mother nature clean up our snow and ice. we don't have snow storm on top of snow storm on top of snow storm. we slept with our windows open last night. insane.

so, yes, snow makes us ridiculous. we don't claim to be experts in it. snow makes us feel childlike. because snow happens so rarely down south, it is fun for us. it is not an inconvenience. we don't miss too much work or struggle getting around town. it goes away as quickly as it came down. we don't "learn" how to drive on ice and snow pack [because it's dangerous and stupid], but also because we don't have to. by the time we even think about driving in hazardous road conditions, it is already melting away.

needless to say, winter storm leon [yes, they have names now] was fun and exciting for us. most people missed between 2-4 days of work. leon was a different storm. it was a BIG storm. the snow only really started melting because it rained on saturday. 4.5 inches of snow?! wow!
keith and i enjoyed a mini, unplanned vacation. we played in the snow with the dogs. walked the neighborhood many times. watched movies. i completed several projects. on friday [when the roads were clear], we went out for dinner. it was nice to relax at home for a few days. ahhh....i feel rejuvenated! thank you, leon. 

i know people who live in other places will find all of this a bit silly, but when snow is not part of the everyday, it is exciting, debilitating, enjoyable, hazardous, and thrilling.

when things become a part of the mundane, everyday they lose their sparkle. so i guess you could say, in the south, the snow still sparkles.

xoxo,
ks