Snow Day
- Kim Farmer
- Jan 29
- 4 min read
Timmy, my cousin, always uses that tractor to clear our driveway after a snowstorm. A green John Deere tractor, driven by a relative or a neighbor, clearing the snow from the driveway has always been a reminder of how important it is for neighbors to help neighbors. We really do need each other.
Memories of my uncle, Eddie Kent, clearing our driveway when I was a kid remind me of the kinds of snow we used to have. Snow that covered everything with a 6-, 8-, or 10-inch heavy white blanket that wouldn't budge for several days, a week, or even longer.
Well, maybe this year we are going to have a winter like the ones we used to have. I don't think I will enjoy it as much as I used to, if we do. There are more things to be considered now that I'm an adult. I'm sure my parents were concerned with the sorts of things that concern me now when the weather turns cold and snowy. Will the power stay on? Will the water freeze? Do we have everything we need? (Will I be able to get to my haircut appointment next week?)
As kids, though, we didn't think about what might happen, we only hoped we would have a snow day. I liked school, but I liked snow days better.
We went to school in the cold and on snowy roads much more often then. I remember Carl, our bus driver, stopping at the end of Spruce Run to take chains off the bus wheels before crossing 460. Sometimes he'd need to stop and put the chains back on before heading down the Run to get us home safely.
Things weren't as scientific in the 1970s. Even though the weathermen were doing their best, the forecasts weren't nearly as accurate then as they are today. If the snow hadn't started before nightfall, school wasn't cancelled. We'd have to wait until the next morning to know if we'd have a day at home.
I remember lying on the den floor, early in the morning, waiting to see Giles County on the closed list. I'm sure we did a little happy dance when we learned we were out of school, and either went back to bed or began our snow day rituals right away.
Snow days meant extra time relaxing in front of the TV, eating snacks, playing board games and cards, and of course bundling up to go outside and play in the snow. We didn't have special snowsuits, so we layered up and headed outside to build a lopsided snowman. We usually gave up on the snowman before he was even a vague likeness of the one we intended when the work began.
Sledding was also a required activity. The runner sleds could be scary and a bit unsafe when we were younger, so we sometimes used pieces of cardboard instead. The cardboard would eventually get wet and not move as well, but for a while it was a fun ride. By the time the cardboard gave out, often before that, we were cold and wet and heading back inside.
Getting ready to go outside took just about as long as we'd want to stay outside. Mom was very patient with us. She probably barely had enough time to straighten up the mess we'd made getting bundled up for our snow day adventures, before we were already opening the door and tramping back into the house.
What a mess it was when we came back inside! Peeling the layers off and getting into dry clothes took a while. Snow would be melting on the floor with a pile of wet clothes to be taken care of before getting a mug of hot chocolate.
Then the hope we would have another snow day tomorrow would begin. It wasn't like today when every type of weather closing is broadcast far and wide on every device all day long. No, back then we had to wait for the 6 o'clock news to begin or until they started scrolling the closings across the bottom of the TV screen.
I've always thought there's something very special about snow days. Yes, we had to make them up later. I even remember going to school on Saturdays a few times. YIKES! But still, for that day or those few days, everything slowed way down. The routine got upended and we got to enjoy the simple pleasures of being at home.
Not much here to inspire or challenge, but maybe a few snow day memories of your own are swirling around in your mind. Fix yourself a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy your own personal snow globe of snow day memories.
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