Compartments

Ancient History

Follow Me?

Instagram

Hearty is hard

What does it take to get school cancelled in Colorado when it snows?

This is the seventh year I’ve had a child in a public school. We’ve had FOUR days when school has been cancelled due to too much snow over all those years. That seems astonishing when you consider where we live. Snowfall that would cripple cities like Houston or Atlanta to a buckling, smoking halt are something our school district officials yawn over.

“Just a dusting.”

Sometimes, I wish the Deciders of Such Things were a little more fearful, cautious, and drove 1978 Corollas with bald tires. I wish they’d rise at 2am, note the snow, think to themselves, “I can’t deal with this today…” and make the call. Don’t the Deciders like to snuggle under blankies? Don’t they like a cup of cocoa sipped in front of a wide window overlooking sparkling powdery white? Don’t the Deciders’ children do backflips in the living room upon hearing the news and immediately pull out the giant pad of paper to plan the elaborate and architecturally impossible snow fort, complete with turrets, a squirrel house, a snowball bunker, and a rollercoaster?

Don’t the Deciders like to avoid car accidents?

We had around six inches of snow overnight. Honestly, it is no big deal—it was a small storm. Part of me, though, wished for a day when the TV stations scroll school closings on the bottom of the screen. It never came. I rarely does.

I pulled on the boots, left a little early, kicked it into 4-wheel-drive, drove sensibly, dropped the four big kids at the school’s curb, and returned home.

snowbird11.jpg

The forecast calls for melting today and sunny skies the rest of the week. I’ll be watching for the next possibility on the horizon, secretly hoping right along with my kids that the day will come just once this year.

21 comments to Hearty is hard

  • Awww! That IS hard, Gretchen! Especially at almost-due status! I remember well the backflips I used to do when school was cancelled…there was nothing else like it in the world.

    Jenni’s last blog post..Oh, Tannenbaum!

  • I also always hope for a “Snow Day” – I think it is one of the reasons I love snow so much. Snow Days have been some of the best days on my life.

    Bonnie’s last blog post..Drive Thru Difference, or Beat Me to It

  • Snow days are the secret perk I never knew I wanted when I became a teacher. What other job is there where you can get up in the morning and someone says “Hey! You don’t have to work today! Go back to bed!”

    Of course, we make up the time at the end of the year. But that is a long, long time from now. I’ll take a day off now, thank you very much.

    Mrs. Who’s last blog post..Try It Tuesday: Broth In A Box

  • Ahhh boohiss! I actually live in one of those oft seen school closing ticker area’s.
    In Indiana….if it gets too slick….we are OUTTA HERE!
    We just had our first snow this past weekend. Nothing to even get wild about. But snow covered (dusting)still.
    My teens all went to bed praying on Sunday night for at least a delay…..no such luck!

    I’ll keep my fingers crossed for ya….maybe soon a little break will come your way.
    🙂

    wanda’s last blog post..Hope

  • We have the same deal over here in Utah! My kids (oldest in 3rd) have had exactly 1 snow day. I remember very few snow days from my childhood. Although, I do have to say, I have seen how non-snow people drive in snow and it scares the bejeebers out of me so I guess they MAY have more need of snow days than we experienced, hearty, snow goers.

    mombrud’s last blog post..Murphy’s elves strike again!!

  • I’m waiting for Houston to shut down, I can’t wait!

    Kristin’s last blog post..Presents under the tree?

  • Wow. That stinks, those Scroogy old school officials. Round here, if it’s even the tiniest bit icy, we usually have at least a delay. It has so happened that school has been canceled for a forecasted 4-in snowstorm that never arrived.

    Goslyn’s last blog post..Elf Dance

  • Ah yes. We hearty Minnesotans are the same way. I think in the teachers’/administrators’ eyes, it’s just as well they go to school, since they’d have to make up the day in June, when they’d rather be outdoors.

    Minnesotamom’s last blog post..Star of Wonder, Star of (Many) Night(s)

  • Kathy B in West Texas

    It doesn’t take much for the roads to get closed down in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, other Texas towns, because people don’t know how to drive on a “little ice” or even a little snow. If it’s raining, and it gets below 40 in San Antonio, they start closing the Loops b/c people just go crazy if it’s not nice and dry.

    In the West Texas town where I live, and by the way, it was over 70 yesterday, and nice and sunny. Today it was 37 and a light rain at 3 pm, w/ a chance of snow showers tonight. If it’s too icy in the morning, they’ll delay school at the very least. We can get snow, and they won’t cancel school unless it’s ice underneath. But, if they close schools, that just means all those crazy guys are out on the roads causing wrecks.

    At least people in Colorado and points north & east can drive on the snow, and not act all crazy!

  • It’s crazy, that’s what it is. And it makes me glad to live in Oklahoma. If three flakes bump into each other, the whole state grinds to a halt.

  • They cancel school here if there is even talk of snow. It is crazy. There will be snow falling, clear roads and the schools are sending the kids home early. They must keep them just long enough to call it a full day of school. We must have lazy Deciders here.

    Cyndi’s last blog post..Seven Random Things

  • I don’t live too far from you and I think we had the same amount of snow. It’s okay to be the decider yourself sometimes, I’ve, uh, DECIDED. Even with the 1 hour delay in place today, it would have taken Paul FOREVER to get the kids to school. They’re kindergarteners. They can work on cutting and coloring tomorrow! We stayed home today!

    Laura’s last blog post..I haven’t heard of THIS Sonic flavor?

  • We had about the same here! The school had a late start today because the roads were icy, but the streets were fine after about 10:00. I love the first big snowfall of each year! After this one, my love will begin to diminish and yearn for spring! 😉

    randi’s last blog post..we had a few things to do before we could start school this morning…

  • edj

    I grew up on the Canadian prairies. They only cancelled school when it was about 40 below zero; I have distinct memories of trudging off in my snowsuit when it was about 10 below zero. Then we moved to Seattle, where they freak out if anything at all sticks to the road! We mocked them mercilessly. But I love snow. I hope you get a couple of good blizzards and snow days this year.

    edj’s last blog post..Holiday

  • That’s funny! I remember the first week of school after moving from Oklahoma to Alaska; it was 58 degrees below zero, and the ice on the roads was four inches thick. I was most indignant that I had to go to school anyway, and as I froze at the bus stop, I nearly blew a mental gasket thinking about the kids who had to walk to school.

    Melanie’s last blog post..Balls of Beads

  • Shayne

    It’s sleeting in parts of Houston this morning, with a chance of snow flurries late tonight! You’re right that a little ice or snow brings everything here to a halt because people have NO CLUE how to drive in it! Heck, this morning’s rain slowed my commute to about 70 minutes. Ick.

    Sorry you didn’t get a snow day today!

  • You Coloradians are Hard Core.

    Heth’s last blog post..Why I Haven’t Been Blogging

  • Move to Oregon. A dusting shuts us down completely. We might have one tomorrow! Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    Inkling’s last blog post..Wrapping it up.

  • They cancel school IN ADVANCE of forthcoming storms. Just to be safe. Except when we only get an inch. Then we just look like sissies.

    Clayjack’s last blog post..Calling In Unemployed

  • That should say “They cancel school IN ADVANCE of forthcoming storms on my area.”

    Oops.

    Clayjack’s last blog post..Calling In Unemployed

  • JoAnn

    We never close schools in here in the City. My home town still will get a closing often, but in the city, life still goes on with 6″.

    JoAnn

Leave a Reply to Shayne Cancel reply

You can use these HTML tags

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>