An Alabama Snow Story

It was another unusually cold morning in Alabama.  I'm not in the habit of checking the weather every day, so I had no idea what was coming.  We were spending an hour in the bathtub, steamy, cozy and snug, far away from the chilly drafts of the living room when we got a text from her Daddy. 

"It's snowing," he announced.  I ran out of the bathroom to look out the window.  Oh man!  I just put her in the bathtub for her turn. (We were taking turns.)  "I hope it's still snowing when she's done with her bath," I thought.  Little did I know, we had plenty of time.

View from my bedroom window

She enjoyed her bath and 30 minutes later I bundled her up to introduce her to snow for the second time. (Thanksgiving in the Virginia mountains was her first taste of snow.) 

It was so exciting as we walked outside to check it out.  We didn't think we would see snow in Alabama this year.

Our hands got super cold, super fast, so I reluctantly took her back inside.  We ate maple syrup on snow and slowly began to piece together bits of news.  The weather forecast had been wrong.  This storm was expected to hit southern Alabama. School was cancelled down there and Northern Alabama sent their few snow clearing trucks down south to help out.  Little did they know, we'd be in dire need up here.  As the morning progressed it became obvious how icy it was becoming. Schools let out and families tried to reunite, many without success.  The fortunate children spent the night at school and day care, warm and cared for by teachers, while parents spent the night on the floor at work. The unfortunate ones spent 9, 16 or 24 hours on the road, just trying to drive a few miles.  Roads were clogged by stand still traffic, accidents and cars slipping and sliding into one another. Even the best snow drivers in America couldn't drive on this rare sheet of ice. Many were forced to abandon vehicles and seek the nearest shelter.

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The view turned whiter as the day progressed.  Husband/Daddy made it home safely at noon.  He works only a mile away with no steep hills to travel and has a four wheel drive truck.  No trouble for us.  

Indeed, this sort of trouble with two inches of snow is a foreign concept to us.  We both grew up driving in deep New England snow, the sound of massive snow plow trucks never far away, constantly clearing the way, wherever we wanted to go.

Late in the afternoon, after nap time, we headed back outside to play in the snow, this time with several extra layers and mittens.

I've never been so thankful for my warm house, and family in it with me, as I was these last two days.  As I write, temperature is rising, snow and ice are thawing and stranded motorists make their way back to cars to untangle the roads, no doubt looking forward to stepping foot inside their homes again, never more grateful for the warm shower coming to them this afternoon.