Snow Day!

"I love this country!" That is what Pete our Finish exchange student said on Monday when I told him he could go back to bed that school was cancelled because of snow.
There hadn't been a snow day for years. It didn't seem to matter how cold or snowy it was, the Minnetonka school district seemed determined to show the world what hardy stock we were made of. When we heard the weather report on Sunday night predicting a foot of snow, none of us believed it. We had been led down that path way to many times this winter. 48 hours before we had been basking in the warm sunlight with temps in the 50's.

There is something special about a snow day. Like an unexpected gift, the joy was in the unwrapping of the present. Our first hint that a reprieve was in sight came on Monday morning at 6:10 am when the phone rang. "Hello" I answered apprehensively, no good news comes before 7 am. The tinny voice recording of the Superintendent informed me that school was delayed two hours. I got out of bed and looked outside - sure enough, there was about 6 inches of snow, and it was still falling. Turning on the TV, the weathermen were positively giddy - not only had their prediction actually come true (an event that happens about as often as a blue moon) but THEY HAD A WEATHER EVENT!

I gave the kids the good news, that they had another couple of hours before they had to get to school. My eyes glued to the scowling bar on the bottom of the TV I watched as more and more school districts made their decision, falling like dominos into the abyss of a snow day. Tension turned to glee as we got the call that school was called off for the day - Oh what joy! Especially since several of the neighboring schools (who often had snow days when Minnetonka didn't) never got the call for cancellation.

It reminded me of when I was a child. Growing up in Indiana, we could count on at least 5 snow days a year. Let the snow fall more then 5 inches ro the temp fall below zero and it was guaranteed to wreck havoc with the roads and the schools!

We hunkered down and watch TV. Feeling adventuresome we all piled into the truck and went to Chipolte for lunch, skidding and sliding our way home.

Oh what a day!