Where's the Snow?

Growing up in Ohio, I never felt the lack of snow. Usually the first flakes appeared around my birthday. I could trust that there would be enough snow to go sledding down the hill or tubing at the neighbors. Not so Virginia! We haven't had a good snow for a long time. Last year they gave us a token snow day. I think we had an inch. People here panic and things close for the threat of snow. I was teaching last year when one day it started to snow around noon. The kids were so excited that they were going to send us home. I kept telling them that there was no way they would send us home early for this. I was wrong! They were plannning on sending the students home, but the sheriff's office called the school and asked them to keep the kids until bus time. The students would have been leaving during the worst of the "storm," and the event was to be over by the time the buses came. Living in the south in winter is very strange. I kept the few students who were left busy until they released us for the day. When I walked downstairs at lunch, I was shocked to see a line of parents going out the door who had come to pick up their little dears so they wouldn't be out in the snow! I think the attendance woman said over 50% of the students went home. How insane! But I digress. I miss snow. I hope that we are up for a huge--12 inch or more--snow like the one that Ohio and Pennsylvania got last weekend. Two years ago it snowed quite a bit, and the boys were off the entire week of Valentine's Day. We had so much fun. The sun would melt the top of the snow during the day, but it would re-freeze at night. The boys had a blast on our hill with their sleds and snow boards. I'm envying those of you farther north right now. It looks like snow outside. It's dreary and gray and cold. But the clouds are empty. We still have another month or so, and in the hearts of my children hope springs eternal for that awesome snow fall.