snow days

For those of you that grew up in the north, you probably remember those days as a kid when you heard rumors of snow. You'd go to sleep wishing and praying that you'd wake up in the morning to find that snow had come and you were forced to stay home from school to have snowball fights, build snowforts and sled down the nearest hill. I loved those days and I'm sure you did too. The funny thing is that I still have that excitement as an adult. I'm sure it's partly because I don't have a job to get to and deadlines looming over my head but I think it's also because those days rarely come anymore. It seems as though our weatherment have a tendency to predict a decent amount of snow but hardly ever get it right. Last year they forcasted 14-18" of snow so they called off schools and shut the city down (why make the call BEFORE any snow has fallen???) only to find that we barely got a dusting. Then last month they forcasted a good 12" and we got about half of that. So as the rumors started swirling a few days ago, my excitement and hope grew about the possiblity of a good snowstorm. They were speculating at least 10" of snow and possibly as much as 20". I awoke this morning and with excitement and anticipation pulled back the curtains to see if it was true. Finally, the weathermen were right!!! We definately have snow. As of 10 am this morning we measured 16" but it's been snowing so hard that I'm pretty sure we'll hit 20" by the time it's all done. The snowfall rate has been as much as 2-3" an hour! The sad part is that it is so deep your sled just sinks. Hopefully we'll be able to pack it down a little and head out this weekend when you can actually see in front of you. :-) Our side yard is PERFECT for sledding and has a nice long run. It's the kind of yard the neighbors are jealous of in the winter because of the sledding potentials but hate to mow in the summer because of the steepness. On days like today, it's worth the hassle in the summer!