Snow Day

This morning schools in the greater Chattanooga area were on a 2-hour delay. Up on Signal Mountain everyone is scratching their heads because it has been snowing all morning, and this is the south. 

Meaning schools almost always close for snow. Or the threat of snow. Or because is it is just too cold.

For a brief time in elementary school I lived in southern Ontario, Canada. For those three years, I walked to school (uphill both ways) in the snow. According to my mom, when she was growing up, the schools never closed unless it was 40 below (or something like that).

It was always a big joke when we moved to Arkansas and the towns would shut down for the threat of cold weather. I have lived in the south for 20+ years now and I get it. The south isn't equipped like they are in the north. There is no point in having machinery to clear the snow when it rarely snows.

Anyway, I have been watching the snow fall all morning. Our wood stove has been steadily burning for the last two days to ward off the chill in our house. This morning, as the snow fell and the sun peeked through the clouds, it looked like glitter was falling from the sky. Beautiful.

Jack loves the snow. This time the snow hasn't been enough to sled on, but it has accumulated nicely on our decks. Perfect for snowball fights with daddy.

Isaac is thrilled to press his face up against the back door to watch his big brother play. I wonder what he thinks about the snow.

Maybe one year we will make a winter trek to Canada to show our boys what I real snow can look like. For now, I am sitting inside enjoying a hot drink, thankful that while it is pretty, it will go away in a day or two and that spring is just around the corner.

First Snow of 2016

Last week Storm Jonas turned into a blizzard and dumped a ton of snow in the northeast after hitting a good portion of the south. It seemed like it was snowing everywhere but east Tennessee, but on Friday night, as Daniel made his way home from work, the rain turned to big fat, wet snowflakes. Jack rushed out the door to greet the snow as it began to pile on our deck.

By bedtime several inches of snow had settled on the ground, creating a blanket of white that muffled the night sounds and reflected the full moon with a brightness of a flood light. 

I love the calm and quiet that the snow brings (though as someone who has lived in the south for the last two decades, I also like when the snow leaves after a few days). 

After a week of school closings and delays for the cold, it was nice to finally have a reward for being cooped up.

We had just enough snow to get the sled out and pull Jack around our neighborhood park, right across the street from our house. The little trail leading from our house to the park actually provided the perfect sledding hill for Jack (next year we will probably go to the golf course to do some real sledding).

This was Isaac's first snow and we were scrambling to find warm enough clothes for him. A size 2 rain jacket worked as a windbreaker over a fleece body suit. I'm sure he was annoyed by all of the layers, but he seemed fascinated by the cold white stuff.

We let him ride with Jack on the sled (until Jack complained that he was too heavy). I think Isaac would have stayed out longer, but by the time he was up from his nap and ready to join big brother, Jack was getting cold.

The weather has been fairly mild this winter and we were caught off guard – Jack's hiking boots were too small, his rain boots had holes in them, and we didn't have any wind resistant pants. We had enough layers to keep him warm for about an hour, and then we stripped him down and sat him by the fire to sip hot chocolate to warm back up (to help keep his feet dry, we put his feet in plastic grocery bags before putting on his holey rain boots).

We awoke on Sunday morning to sub freezing temps and snow had not yet melted. My weather app said the temperature would be in the 40s by noon and Jack was up early and ready for church with 30 minutes to spare, so Daniel took him sledding one last time before we headed off the mountain.

I hope it snows again this winter (previous big snows have been in February), but if it doesn't snow again this year, I'm glad Jack got one last sledding session in.

It's kind of hard to believe this is our third winter on Signal Mountain. We are looking forward to many more snow days (though if I'm being honest, I'm glad it only lasts for a few days).

A Look Back at Our Snow Days:
2013  |  2014  |  2015