Thursday, December 15, 2016

Snow Day No 3

Monday brought the third school bus cancellation of this school year. And it's not even officially winter yet. Except the sun has been below the equator for three months now, so that's official enough for me. In fact, we'll still be calling it officially winter when the sun is a lot closer to us that it is now.

Traditionally, one of us would still take the kids to school when the buses have been cancelled, but with Danica getting older, fewer and fewer kids show up to school on these buses-cancelled days. Last snow day, there were only 27 attendees from her whole busy school. So, we kept them here this time.

In the morning, Sue had us decorating Christmas cookies.






After each of us doing our own thing for awhile and then eating lunch. it was time to shovel the driveway.


Surprisingly, it was warm enough that the underlying ice started lifting up, which is good because driving and walking over the bumpy ice bothers my sensibilities. I had thought that I would chop it up in the inevitable, or so it seems, January thaw, but it came up pretty well on Monday. Below, I am using the steel shovel to get under the ice layer to loosen it.


Eventually, we finished our work, so the kids had some play time.


Meanwhile, I headed around to the back to clear a path from the door to the edge of the deck: not that we will ever need to use this, but just in case.

It's a fair bit of snow for mid-December, especially when you consider that we had a green Christmas last year, the only time in our 12 years here although we came darn close in another year when only snow on Christmas Day itself covered the green,


So, eat your hearts out all of you warm-weather pansies because we are having a Christmas most suitable for Santa and the reindeer.  ðŸ˜ŒðŸ˜Ž

16 comments:

Tabor said...

Weathermen and women have been warning us about polar vortexes...but we get a day or two of cold and then a little rain and then the high 40's. It seems like winter does not want to come down this far.

Marie Smith said...

Winter has settled n early here too, AC.

What fun at the cookies. Great job too! Time with the grandchildren is always special.

Silver in AZ said...

Yikes! I often winter joke with my Chicago bred hubby, "what's a snow scrapper?" Never had to own one, let alone USE one...

Mara said...

We have one really nice day and then several gloomy yucky days. And a white Christmas is not going to happen here this year either. Could you send some snow this way please?

Jenn Jilks said...

'warm weather pansies' abound. I get a few silly comments by people who don't embrace it, like we do!

Should Fish More said...

Yeah, we've had an additional 6 inches or so since morning, low tomorrow am is predicted to be minus 28. I share your pain. But, it's Montana, so it's what we expect.

Ginnie said...

It all looks very "Christmassy" and the cookies are adorable ... but it looks way too COLD for me. Be careful clearing the snow, AC. They say that is often the biggest culprit ... causing accidents and heart attacks. Hugs to all ...

Shammickite said...

No snow days yet here, although plenty of snow! The grandies had fun on the morning of the first big snowfall, shovelling it and then rolling in it, and ending up soaking wet. And I have a cough and am swigging cough medecine and I smell strongly of Vicks......

Mage said...

Snow blower time? :)

Donna said...

Well...#1, Your plate looks suspiciously empty! I have a feeling Santa's little Elf helped himself to a few "finished products"...Hahaa
You're making wonderful memories for those kids.
hughugs

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Good job on hte cookie decorating- but my bad back does not envy your snow clearing! I always dream of the snow we had when we were stationed in North Dakota and Canada, but here in Arkansas it's a rarity, so I never get my hopes up anymore.

Ruth said...

We have had snow every day from that great snow machine called Lake Huron. Sure hope the weather cooperates for a trip to Ottawa on Christmas Day.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

We have had some snow in Nashua, NH, but none that has stayed around so far. If it were possible, I would request that some one sent from your place to ours, AC. Those Christmas cookies look good enough to be eaten, which I'm sure they will be very soon!

Debbie said...

this is my favorite - cookies and snow!!!

Hena Tayeb said...

the cookie decorating looks like fun!
that is a lot of snow..

Kay said...

Illinois had a ton of school snow days last year or was it the year before? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this year. In the 2 decades that I taught in Chicago, I don't think we had more than a half dozen snow days. Here in Hawaii, no problem. It's more the heat. Looks like you've already started your snow days.