Snow Day

Ahhhh! Snow!

I was raised on a ranch twenty miles from the nearest town.

It was a wonderful place in which to grow up.

I lived and worked and spent my days with family and farm animals.

A peaceful, beautiful sunlit life.

Except when it snowed.

And then it was something else entirely.

It was perfect.

Maybe I should explain . . .

To get to school each day, my siblings and I rode the school bus.

There were flaws in the system.

The bus driver of the day refused to make the entire trip to the ranch.

And instead, would meet us at Nine-Mile Corner.

Situated nine miles from the ranch.

Okay, so, creative name-ers, we weren't.

Moving on . . .

Every day, Mom, and occasionally Dad, would drive us to meet the bus.

So we would be driving a vehicle to the middle of nowhere to meet another vehicle.

We didn't always connect.

At which time, Mom, and occasionally Dad, would have to take us the remaining eleven miles into town.

Sigh.

And that was when the weather cooperated.

When it didn't, things were a tad different.

If it rained (and very occasionally, it did), the ungravelled roads were positively greasy with mud.

The chances of us making our connection became very uncertain indeed.

In fact, the chances of us making it anywhere safely or on time were . . . iffy.

If it snowed . . . well, that is another story entirely.

And now we get to the point of today's ramble.

During the winter, when it stormed, driving to the school bus was very nearly impossible.

But our parents would gamely try.

Unless told to do otherwise by someone in authority.

The announcer on the radio was just such an authority. 

When we awoke to howling winds and/or thickly falling snow, we would wait breathlessly to hear the magic words.

Which schools were being closed.

Inevitably, Milk River was on the list.

At which time, we would rejoice, loudly, and proceed to plan out a day of skating and/or sledding and/or playing in the snow. With fresh doughnuts and hot chocolate to follow.

The very best of days.

Because a Snow Day is a gift and isn't to be wasted.

Moving ahead . . .

When my own kids were growing up, schools were never closed due to snow.

But buses were often cancelled.

When that happened, even when our family was living in town, I kept my kids home.

Because a Snow Day is a gift and isn't to be wasted on going to school.

Moving ahead again . . .

Yesterday, a blizzard blew into Edmonton and area.

A large blizzard.

Preceded by freezing rain.

Which made the roads almost impassible.

The commute to work quickly became a snarled mess of broken automobiles and frustrated drivers.

I kept my Husby home.

Because a Snow Day is a gift and simply isn't to be wasted on going to work.