Learning as We Go....: Snow Day!!!!

I moved to Kentucky from Pennsylvania when I was 13 (though you wouldn't know it given my obvious KY accent!). I still remember the first "snow day" as a Kentuckian. My mom came up to me and my sister's room and said we didn't have school today because of the snow. It was late in the winter season and there really hadn't been any snow all winter, so we were excited. (We were used to LOTS of snow in the winter.) We looked out the window and saw, not snow, FROST. "Okay, Mom, nice joke!" But, she wasn't joking. So, that's kinda our little family joke about Kentucky winters (sorry!).

Now that I work for JCPS, I've come to not get excited about a potential snow day. Not counting this week, JCPS has only had one snow day in the pass 3 1/2 years. We ALWAYS have school, even when every surrounding county doesn't. We just don't have the rural roads that cause surrounding counties to have to call off school. So, I woke up early Tuesday morning, expecting to have an hour or so delay (which still means I have to be to the office on time, no delay). To my surprise, school was cancelled, and so was the rest of the week. Normally, this would be a good thing, an unexpected day off. However, with the wind storm we had a while back, we're already cutting into our summer break and now we'll be adding another 4.... We're looking at at least the 2nd week of June.

I'm not complaining. I'm actually very thankful. We only lost power for about an hour and a half Wednesday night. We heard trees all around us, "popping" as the branches try to withstand the weight of the ice. A few of the trees at the end of our property have lost several branches. Luckily, the one big tree we have in our back yard is still standing. I keep talking to it, trying to encourage it to fight the fight: "You can do it Big Tree! Just hang in there. It won't be long now!" I love that tree and really don't want to lose it or any of it's shade-producing branches. The girls have went over and sniffed it a few times too. I think they're barking encouraging words as well, appreciative of the shade it provides on hot, summer days. Here's a before-snow-storm and after-snow-storm pic of "Big Tree".

Of course, our house has been a refuge for family that have not been so lucky. So, it's definitely not been a quiet few days! :) But I've enjoyed the company! I can only imagine how bored I'd be home by myself for the pass 4 days!

The girls absolutely LOVE the snow. They run as fast as they can, chasing each other and trying to eat the snow all at the same t

ime! Its really funny!