6 Months and Counting Down (Up) to 40: Yes, Please! Let it Snow!

As most of you know, the southeast got slammed by a snow storm.

And, man has it been fun!

Atlanta just NEVER gets this white stuff that falls with purpose from the sky.
We get “oops, it’s snowing, how did that happen?” snow.
We get “pine-needle snow,” where IF you manage to scrape enough up off the ground to make a snowman, he’s gonna have pine needles sticking out of him like a guy who definitely needs an all over body-shave. (You’ll also be able to tell the exact path that the people took to build him, because that area of the ground will now be devoid of snow and you will be able to see the pine needles sticking up off of the actual ground.)

We do not get REAL “snow storm” snow -this stuff came down like snowflakes on a mission and it stuck. I mean, it stuck immediately. There was no looking out the window and anxiously asking, “Do you think it will stick?” Nope, no doubt- sticking to the ground …and the cars and the pavement and the rooftops!

It’s fun because it’s novel. We know that, as snow goes, it’s not a lot of snow. We know that other areas of the country, areas that have to live with this stuff, roll their eyes at our making a big deal out of 4 to 6 (+ in some places) inches of snow. Kinda like we roll our eyes at NY City crying when it gets over 95 degrees in the summer.
(I remember once, when I lived in southwest Oklahoma, an actual news story,
“It’s been raining for over 15 minutes here, in downtown…”
The whole place flooded - their roads weren’t graded to shed water - and people were running into each other all over the place.
“Please, stay off the roads if possible.”
I couldn’t help it, I gaped at the Tv - rain? All this over rain? Yep.)

The issue is not the actual weather, the issue is what people are accustomed to and what they are prepared for. Most areas in the south do not have snow plows or de-icing machines (we are completely shut down, NOTHING moves-it‘s too dangerous. Well, some four-wheelers are moving, not sure they completely understand the concept of "dangerous." :) ) We put salt, primarily, on our popcorn not on our roads. :) Most of us do not have snow chains for our tires or even winter boots. In fact, I almost didn't buy gloves for my kids, this year. They don’t really NEED them most days and therefore they won’t wear them. I bought them, “just in case.” Glad I did.

A very wonderful “real-life” friend of mine started a Facebook page,
"2011 Snowpocalypse"
which, as of this posting (it keeps changing), had 11,642 people "attending."
(This, from a woman who has, as her profile picture on Fb, a picture of a crying baby and the words, “I HATE SNOW!” hahaha She’s also a nurse in downtown Atlanta who is stuck at the hospital until this stuff melts. Read: stuck at work for, literally, days. She’s spending the night in a hospital bed, if she’s lucky. She’s been posting pictures of herself and her nurse friends “sledding” on CPR boards all around the hospital. I’d post pics but they’re not mine to post. I’m betting this “snow day” was all right in her book. :) )

My Facebook world waited on the snow together, en masse, on Sunday night. I could track the course of the storm as my friends, from all over the southeast, alternately wondered impatiently where the snow was and then, all along the edge as the storm moved from the southwest, chimed in to post as their statuses,
“IT’S SNOWING!”

We exchanged “snow cream,” recipes and posted pictures and marveled at something most of us didn’t even know existed- snow thunder! A few of my buddies even saw the lightening to go along with it. Wow. Who knew?

As I write this, I’m still stuck inside my house. The world outside is still joyfully white. It’ll be a couple more days before my husband can get to work safely and my kids go back to preschool. I’ll be pulling my hair out soon, no doubt. :) Until then, enjoy!

Hmmm, not too bad.

Snow Cream for breakfast which was really good
when we added left over Egg Nog. This was dubbed
"Snow Thunder Nog"
by a Facebook friend of a friend.

Yep, he's standing on the road. See? Treacherous.

"Weebles may wobble..."

...but this one falls down...a lot!

I just love this picture.

<sigh> The gloves. <sigh>

"I hit you."

Unfortunately,
there was no one to take photos of the epic snow battles.
There is nothing more frustrating than to have your hubby CATCH the snowballs that you throw at him
and hit you in the head with them.
That's okay. I won, in the end. :)

Again, with the gloves.

Redneck sled.
I am the only one in my family who has anything remotely close to "snow clothes" to wear in this weather.
And, that's only because I broke down this year and bought cold weather clothes to ride Horse in.
I HATE being cold.