It's a snow day! Yes, apparently even in Boston, with its jaded, snow-capable (or perhaps snow-weary?) citizens and tough, burly weather equipment, there comes a storm this city cannot quite cope with. Basically all schools and most workplaces are closed as the beautiful white dust falls on and on.
Brian (who is working from home due to the weather) and I took it upon ourselves to walk to the nearest open pub for lunch and some Guinness to get us through the storm. On the way back, being buffeted with wind and ice, Brian finally admitted, "You know, for someone from Mississippi, this is absolutely ridiculous." (Except he totally said something else besides "absolutely" - something that rhymes with "schucking").
And he's right, it is absurd. We went out to explore the snowy neighborhood when we got up this morning and by the time we had returned to our front stoop, barely 15 or 20 minutes later, our footsteps had been completely erased by newly fallen snow. But you know what? I love it. Having grown up in Utah, it's just in me. Every winter of my childhood there was a beautiful thick blanket of snow covered the entire city. When I was a kid, we brought two bags to school during the winter months: one was our backpack and the other was a duffel bag of snow gear. Every recess involved putting on snow overalls (usually big puffy ones in neon colors), snow boots, a big coat, gloves and a hat. Then we'd play in the snow, making forts and having snowball fights and god knows what else. Then we'd come in, remove our frozen outer layer and continue school. No big deal.
It's so weird to me that Mississippi kids never experienced this. "If the weather was bad enough to need any of that [snow gear]," Brian said on our walk, "we just wouldn't come to school."
As he's completely right: in ten years of school in Utah, I think we had three - maybe four - snow days, and on one of those we actually drove to school before we found out it was canceled because it was Ash Wednesday. In eight years of school (high school and college) in Mississippi, I think we had more than ten days off, including a whole week off in Jackson when the water pipes across almost the entire capital froze and burst. And those "snow" days more often than not ended up being a light dusting of snow that melted by 4:00 p.m... Mississippi is simply not adequately prepared for inclement weather.
Which is why I'm so happy to be where I am. I love having four full seasons. And I love snow. And I love this city.
Let's look at the snow!! These are from this morning around 9:30 a.m.:
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| Penny says, "What's all that white stuff?" |
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| workers clearing the walks |
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| Bay State Road |
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| compare this bicycle with the 9:30 a.m. one |
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| hip-high by the post office |
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