Winter Storm Jonas

In late January, we awoke to a soft steady downfall of snow. We had no snow when we went to bed late on Friday but early Saturday the yard was buried. We have a deck table on our back patio which we used as a snow gauge all day. Ten inches, twenty inches, thirty inches… Then we cleared the table, worried its glass top would break under the weight. The snow continued to fall all evening until we began to wonder if it would stop. Our new house is a bit of an unknown. Phil got out on a roof and shoveled some snow. We checked on the hot tub. We gave up on shoveling to our front door. And we waited it out.

The snow finally stopped. Sunday was sunny and warm and beautiful. Church was cancelled due to excessive snow and we just stayed home, happy with no kid activities of any kind, except board games. The storm was talked up all week. Food started disappearing from the grocery store shelves by mid week so I finally got around to stocking up.  We were slightly bemused by all the concern. We definitely had the same amount of snow in Germany without any lead up. Or a lead up I missed as it was in German. The difference there though was snow removal, which was quick and continual. Here things went slower though by Sunday afternoon snow plows were out and about.

Our street usually has a slightly deserted feel with most people at work and kids at school and activities. The storm brought people out. By Sunday, people were shoveling and dogs were being walked. Sienna loved the snow, bounding over snow drifts and scrambling into snow caves the kids built. Only problem with Arctic Pup was that her hypoallergic fur caught the snow in little balls all over her body. Every trip out needed a warm bath to melt hundreds of snow balls off her. But as there was little else to do, we did it!

We found the local sledding hills, one at the old cemetery and one near our summer pool. We debated the propriety of sledding at the cemetery but came down in favor of it. The kids were not going over any graves and we figured all the Europeans buried there one hundred years ago would appreciate a good snow day. At the pool hill, Royce and Arctic Pup went up and down the hill. Royce soon started carrying the sleds of two young Korean brothers. Sienna soon started chasing the boys. We left loving those little boys and once again underlining the fact that we talk more freely with expats than with straight up Americans.

On the travel side, the winter storm was a problem for everyone but us. Phil came home a day early to avoid the snow storm. His original flight was for Saturday mid day, which proved to be full strength storm time. On the following Tuesday, his outgoing flight was cancelled due to continued disruptions. We loved this storm, more time with Dad. And more time with Dad shoveling snow on our behalf!