Pre Snow

Life in Virginia is fun in the winter.  That is because as many as five or six days in advance we get a warning from the weather people that there may be a chance of snow coming up.  That is a big deal here.  We know that snow in Virginia can be tricky.  Not only tricky to get it here but tricky when it is on the ground. 

There are lots of stories of how snow has been predicted and never came.  Or the "For Sure" snow storm of the century turned into a nice rain here in Virginia.  But on the times that the snow actually arrives it can really get tricky because of a combination of things.  First we don't put the resources into taking care of the snow like other more northern states.  We use our money for other stuff.  I'm not sure what but stuff that doesn't include snow removal.  Because we don't get much snow, most of the driver's here have minimal snow driving experience and are overly cautious to the point of being dangerous or not cautious enough.  Consequently there are lots of accidents and slipping and sliding.  Schools often close, work often starts late or closes and in the big storms the nearby military base will even close down.  It really is unique. 

So the past few days we've been hearing about this snow/ice storm coming our way.  In Virginia ice is dreaded much worse than snow.  A full-fledged ice storm can keep us housebound for a week, and it has in the past I might add.  Ask Grandma Loray about the Christmas ice storm where the electricity was out for several days while they were visiting.  Where the Christmas ham was cooked over a propane heater since that was the only heat we had in the house, while they were visiting.  Where the refrigerator in the house didn't work so we put all the stuff needing to be cold in Dad's truck to keep it cold.  Now that is a good story for another time.

So back to this week: every one is watching the weather.  The snow is supposed to come Tuesday, today as I write this.  Church announcements tell the weekly activities with the caveat of "if it snows it is cancelled".  At work everyone is wondering what they will do with the time at home.  Shoppers rush out to get enough milk, bread and fixing's to last through a storm.  Dread and or hope, depending on your point of view, is high.  Weather forecasts are watched closely on T.V. and the Internet for days in advance. 

Well sure enough, today we are getting sleet and snow.  A slippery mix.  The schools started with a two hour delay until the sleet started coming down, then they cancelled at the last minute with several teachers already on their way.  My work was an hour late.  We'll see if they stay the whole day since the T.V. news said the commute home would be worse than the one to work.  We'll see. 

So even though snow is meager and somewhat rare in southern Virginia, during the winter it takes up a lot of thought and tense anticipation!

As for me, I love the snow, bring it on!