Worst Snow Storm of the Season = Snow Day
Years ago, this amount of snow, eight inches or so, would not raise an eyebrow or concern. Life would continue on. The school buses might run a little behind schedule but otherwise it would just be a regular day with snow added to the mix. When I looked out the front door I was greeted by this scene.
Between the weather media and the government the fragrance of disaster and emergency fill the minds of anyone who listens. The schools were closed. Activities at Penn State were cancelled. The coffee shop down the street was closed. But the roads were mostly clear. I could have taken the Vespa out for a ride by noon.
But this was the worst snow storm of the season. We had a snow day.
Snow Angels
I did not make snow angels. I’m not sure why. Or why it’s been so long since I’ve laid in the snow. Strange how such a simple act can vanish from the adult repertoire of fun. Our little snow angel in the garden seemed unperturbed by the snow.
Snow Garden
Walking laps through the garden with the dogs was a quiet event. The snow softens all sounds leaving a sense of silence generally uncommon in any other situation. Lily sat waiting for me to catch up in hopes I would heave a tennis ball which would promptly be lost in the snow.
Snow Dog
Junior, our Belgian Sheepdog, loves the snow. It re-energizes his youthful spirit while still maintaining a sense of mature dog dignity. Similar to what I project when dismounting the Vespa. It’s a joy to have dogs in your life.
Even better than riding.
Snow Vespa Scooter
When you ride a lot in the winter, especially in snow, it’s easy to fall into a sense of denial about what you can and can’t do. For a few moments I considered venturing out while the news was announcing a weather emergency. The sad fact that I had not mounted the Heidenau snow tires this season made even the lightest sheen of snow a challenge. And I was imagining being stopped by the police because no one in there right mind would ride a scooter during a snow emergency.
So the scooter stayed in the garage.
A Hot Cuppa Tea
Saint’s Cafe was packed. With no place to sit and relax I walked down the street to a new Starbucks Cafe inside a new downtown Target Store. Had the place to myself for a short time allowing for the sipping of tea while reading a book. Fine tasks for a snow day.
More Snow on a Snow Day
Snow fell on and off through the afternoon though the accumulation was minimal. Any fears of a blizzard or snow emergency seemed more imagined than real to me. Still, it’s nice to have the world slow down once in a while.
Perhaps that’s the real reason for a snow day…
Spring is coming!
I can’t wait.
We had a few flakes here in North Georgia, but the big news here is the cold and awful wind chill, brrr!
I thought the sun always shines in Georgia. The cold will pass. And we’ll see the price of peaches and blueberries rise at the grocery store…
Well a lot of the peach and blueberry plants got frost bitten, so you may be right. Less crop = higher prices. 🙁
Yeah. Weather and disease can have a dramatic effect on the price in the grocery store.
When I experience or think of Snow Days I am reminded of a time when Sundays were this quiet and slowed down. Lovely really. Nice pics.
Those quiet Sunday’s are a thing of the past. Sometimes you can hardly tell the difference from a weekday.
You are right in that the media overhypes incoming weather now to drive traffic their way…
We’re going to be in the low 70s for highs this week. Sadness. No snow. No donuts.
But live on the east coast? Never. I like mountains and less crowds, though Denver has become a festering swamp of traffic and people. I wonder how expensive land is in say, Montana?
You’ll have to survive on real donuts I guess. And the knowledge that you can now ride anywhere without concern of roads or passes being closed. The world is your oyster Dom!
About the police: I was out for an 8am Sunday breakfast a couple of weeks ago in similar conditions … got a big thumbs up from the popo 2 tables over.
I always hope for that. But you never know where they draw the line when the roads are bad. I’ve never had a bad encounter with the police save for one time I splashed a state trooper who had someone pulled over. He wasn’t happy and chased me down to tell me about it. He was in a bad place and traffic was heavy and I couldn’t pull over to the other lane. Instead I plowed through some water that just drenched him.
No ticket. Just an angry lecture about hydroplaning…
Bridget was originally going to be in PA this week but the airlines was preemptively allowing people to change their flights without penalty. She postponed for a month or so. Probably better weather in May.
The media really does overhype this stuff to drive traffic. We had snowpocalypse a couple of times this year.
May definitely will be better than now. No chance of snow then.
I think the 24 hour news has really amped things up in terms of story telling around the weather. Without pending doom who would watch…
Snow Days are preparation days for your retirement Steve…
Practice makes a good retirement….
I’m ready. No more practice is necessary.
Great pictures Steve! I’m in Florida and no doubt would have declared the area a complete disaster and ordered an evacuation – of one.
LOL – glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for the kind words Mike. This certainly isn’t Florida weather. But I suppose you get some of it on occasion.
Nothing I have ever lived through. This was the first winter in several the we actually had wether. I don’t remember the weather people ever saying Storm Watch 2017! Today upper 70’s and sunny, a very nice ride home, I made most of the lights, nobody tried to run me over.
I miss snow days. I’m not complaining. That’s one of the downfalls of working from home. As long as I have Internet, no amount of snow can stop me from getting to work. The day the snow fell, it was heavy and wet with a lot of sleet mixed in. We only had about 3″ on the ground. Now it’s all frozen solid. My dogs aren’t loving the slippery mess.
Ugh. Frozen snow and ice is terrible. Thankfully we’ve had almost none of that this season.
Let’s home the world warms from here so we can get to complaining about the heat!
I wish I only had a dusting like you, Steve. We here in the Hudson Valley were hit with two feet and more of the stuff. My new snow blower worked its back off and my Black Lab can’t navigate the yard. I had to shovel a run for her to do her business. It’s hard to believe that Spring is less than a week away.
I have a friend (and Vespa rider) up in Yorktown Heights. He told me the snow was deep and heavy and was frozen underneath. Made me happy to have light powdery stuff here that eventually got wet and melted…
We live right here in central Pennsylvania. You’re obviously being punished for something… *grin*
I can say we dodged a cannonball in terms of the Big Impending Whatever, but I sort of took a musket shot two days later when riding to a client’s a short distance away: it started to snow, rather heavily, just as I was suiting up to head out, and much to my chagrin, it kept on snowing from the time I arrived at my client’s up until about ten minutes before getting back on my bike (thankfully parked in an underground garage), and riding home…little more than a mile, thankfully, but with just enough snow and leftover ice to make the trip…memorable.
Here’s to Spring.
Here’s to memorable winter rides and the riders who make them. And with that let’s hope the next ride is warm and dazzling….