March 27, 2009

Playing Hookie

Yesterday we experienced a mini blizzard, producing 25-30 mph winds and a nice dumping of snow. Neal drove to our store this morning to survey the situation and see if it was worth staying open. After hanging around for a bit, he decided to close up shop for the day. The roads were pretty deserted and the news was reporting lots of businesses closed or closing. The chances of anyone venturing out to get passport photos or fingerprinting done in this weather were pretty slim, so we took the day off -one of the perks of being a small business owner! Below is a cool snow drift over our front door that lasted a few hours, then melted into a big puddle when the sun came out.

According to the weather report, some areas of the state experienced snow falls in the 10-20 inch range, but our area only received in the neighborhood of 3-7 inches. Since we have had a very mild winter with little precipitation, any amount of moisture is a welcomed sign, for those of us afraid of wild fires and for the vegetation that lurks below ground. It's still early yet for this climate to plant anything delicate outside, but in just a few weeks this planter on our front stoop should be brimming with flowers of some sort.

After Neal returned from our store, he did the good neighbor thing and shoveled and snowplowed our drive and sidewalk, as well as those of several of our neighbors. It's sure nice to have neighbors with snow blowers who are willing to let us use them in exchange for clearing their walks and drives.

Captain and George were itching to get outside with Neal and play in the snow, so as soon as he finished his chores, they played. Our neighbor, Eileen, invited the boys to her backyard to tromp around, which was a treat because she had some large snowdrift areas in her yard. Neal threw snowballs at them and they ran to catch them and eat them, while Eileen and I laughed at their goofiness.

Neal thought he was going to build a snowman in our backyard, but Captain had other ideas. He wanted to stand on top of the snow mound and root around in the snow with his nose, so Neal gave up his idea and just let the boys play. As you can see from the picture, George was very vocal about his wishes!

The blizzard has passed for now, and the sun is shining brightly, but the forecast calls for some more nasty stuff possibly next week. My friends back in the South are amazed that we are getting snow this time of year, but it's really quite common for us to get a stray snow shower into May, sometimes June. Aside from the fact that I'd really like to get out and plant my gardens, I enjoy the snow with its refreshing unpredictability. Kind of like some people I know.

4 comments:

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

Winter isn't over yet for a large part of the country. I'm glad all we've been getting is rain
Dogs do love to play in the snow don't they - just like children.

basicliving@backtobasicliving.com said...

Playing hooky - yay! Nothing like a hooky day.

Neil is so sweet to help out the neighbors. When we lived in town, Bernie would do the same for our neighbors. They all just loved him.

George and Captain look like they are having a blast! Diesel and Dolly love the snow too. I am NOT a cold weather person and have never cared for snow. Diesel and Dolly are starting to change my mind on the snow thing though. They are so much fun to watch while they play in it that I tend to forget how much I don't like snow. I have definitely spent more time outside in it in the past few months than I ever have before!

LiveWorkDream said...

Hey thanks for the weather update. We're sweltering down here in Texas and can't wait to come on up for some real refreshing, cool air. See you soon!

Lilla said...

Two of our Southern dogs absolutely love the snow, especially Captain. Our little female only goes out to potty, then she heads straight back inside.

We may have moved away from the South, but we brought our Southern hospitality and ways with us. We still believe in getting out and helping your neighbors, when needed.

Can't wait to finally meet you, Rene! You will love the weather here. Nothing at all like Texas!

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