The kids, of course, were delighted. How surreal - the week before spring break they get two extra days off due to snow. They do have school today, however, though I can't imagine from an educational profession standpoint it will be a very effective day of learning. These kids are definitely "checked out"!
Brayden and Mikayla showed some signs of definite teamwork yesterday as they asked if they could make a "Big Top Pumpkin Cupcake" together. Apparently, snow days bring out the baker in Mikayla, as on Wednesday, she made this, a Rice Krispie Treats pie, that she put candles in and sang "Happy Snow Day" to us as she presented it. I like Brayden's foot hanging out in the right side of the photo. Earlier in the day, Heather joined us as well. Despite an ongoing sinus headache, I will definitely say it was a very cozy snow day.
So, back to that pumpkin cake, as we were out of eggs, I bravely volunteered to leave the snow-bound home and drive the mile or so to Walmart. A couple of things of importance along the way - 1) Eugene did make a good decision to cancel schools again - even getting out of my driveway was a little bit of a challenge, 2) Our neighborhood suffered MASSIVE tree devastation. So many trees
and huge branches down - you can only navigate one car at a time to get
through. I've never seen anything like it.
These are the two trees in front of our house. We managed to "save them" - partly because they are younger, having been planted shortly after we moved in, and partly because we were vigilant in trying to knock down the snow. In fact, if you look really carefully, you'll see the pole that is still lodged in the branches of the furthest tree...oops - expected that to come down when I used it as a javelin to knock down the top-most snow. =)
3) It's not enough to just scrape the snow off of the windshield - as sooner or later, the snow on the top of your car's roof, will choose a moment to slide down and completely block your vision as it blocks view through your windshield. Fortunately, this occurred for me while I was at a stop, but wow....scary.
After the cake was successfully made, the kids and I opted to go see this at the second run theater. It was just about what I expected...entertaining, but worthy only of the cost of viewing at the Dollar Theater. The kids liked it.
And, because of all of those carbs I downed at the theater, it was off to the Eugene Swim and Tennis Club in the afternoon to try to burn off at least part of those calories. Once again, a surreal sight to see this pool where you'll so often find us in lawn chairs sunbathing in the summer, surrounded by snow.
Because this place is such a constant in my life, I often gauge where we are at seasonally as I walk through the outdoor corridors to the workout room. I've mentioned before that there is a pair of mallard ducks that visit for the spring. I got the opportunity to see them in the kiddie pool on March 1st - just as I was really needing a "sign of spring". Now days, even with the snow, there are the visiting finches that chirp away as I walk through the courtyard. I consider them my own personal cheerleaders as they flit around and sing merrily - even when the rain (or snow) would make you think it's more November than mid-March. In a little over a month, I'm guessing I will begin to see the lawn chairs laid out as preparation is made for the pool opening in early May. That's usually when I come to the conclusion that I will actually make it through the dreary winter-that's-supposed-to-be-spring that Oregon often offers this time of year.
So, that's been our crazy week before spring break. How are things going in your "neck of the woods"?
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