Snow

It is a cold snowy night here in Empire, Alabama......everything is covered in a soft white blanket and the flakes are still coming down. I so love the peacefulness of fresh fallen snow and the stillness that it brings. I've watched those fat lazy flakes drifting down, and then there would be times when it looked as if confetti was being poured from the heavens. Tonight is a gift.

We are never prepared for snow here in the south, at least not in Alabama. There are no snow plows or "snow emergency" plans, now hurricanes and tornadoes that's a different story.

Our snow plans are pretty much, go to the grocery store, buy milk and bread and hope the power doesn't go off.

Rick and I learned valuable lessons during the blizzard of '93........we were without power for almost a week, there were several days when the temperature in our house hovered around 25 degrees and Rick's beard had ice crystals in it. At that time, our house was total electric.....not anymore, now we have gas logs in the fireplace, a gas stove, a gas auxiliary heater and a generator! We learned our lesson well. At one point, we both had so many layers of clothing on our bodies we could barely move.......we sat in front of the glass French doors in our dining room

because that is the south side of the house, hoping that the sunlight streaming through the panes would warm us. At that point, we looked at each other and laughed, because at the same time,

we both said"we look like homeless people."

Our state has pretty much shut down for tonight and tomorrow. Schools are closed, roads are closed, I think it is a safe bet I will not be going to work tomorrow. My great nephew Jordan has already called to tell me of his plans to roll "aunt Rick" in the snow tomorrow. Jordan is two and snow is a big deal for him. This "aunt Rick" thing, not sure how it happened but in his thoughts

we are both aunts. We'll work it out when he is older.

Tonight all is quiet( as quiet as it can be with a 100 pound dog snoring beside me) I am grateful... it is warm and cozy in our little cottage, the power is still on, the snow falls gently outside and a cup of hot tea is waiting for me.

Good night, Sweet dreams.