Everything Stops

Being from the north causes me to puzzle over why the south comes to a grinding halt with even the threat of snow. At 8 am, we got the call from the basketball coach saying all games are cancelled today, and there wasn't a snowflake in sight. In fact, many businesses will close and social events will be cancelled all around. What is so scary about freezing white powder? The fact is, that the greater Knoxville area doesn't usually get much snow, so precious few snow plows, salt trucks, and small salt supply are budgeted. Only major roads and highways get blessed by scraping and crystal flinging vehicles, leaving everyone else without a major snow vehicle stuck at home or on sliding sideways into one another's cars. It's chaos. I'm a great snow driver from northern experience, but Tennessee natives do not follow slippery terrain protocol. For example, the wait-at-the-top-of-a-hill-until-the-car-in-front-clears-the-next-hill rule; TN drivers honk impatiently behind me, even steer around me to end up spinning out to just barely missing the car I was waiting on to clear the hill. So, I avoid going out like the other zillion Tennesseans who stockpile milk and bread and don't darken the doorway of the garage until thaw. Thaw is usually a few minutes or days after snow here. My family will drink hot chocolate if and until the snowfall crests over the grass. Then Buck and the children will suit up for snow ball fights and snowmen and snowmermaids if or while the snow lasts. I'm a coward when it comes to slippery- no further knee surgeries for me, thank you. So, I'll watch from inside snuggle in my toasty red blanket with a book. Buck promises to make chocolate chip cookies. Finally. I'll get my long awaited snow day. BTW, Blogger wouldn't allow proper spaces or paragraphs today. What's up with that? What if I'd have wanted to write a brilliant poem on The True Vyne? I wish I had a place to pose such questions and others to blogger. Anyone know of any way to do so?