Winter Learnings

So, living in the frozen North for my first winter, I have learned a few things so far. 

1.  When it snows, they still expect you to show up to work.  Now what is that about??  My whole life has been in the South and when it snows you stay home!  It is a good plan, it works for everyone.  Not here.  2 inches of snow - go to work.  4 inches of snow - go to work.  6 inches of snow - go to work.  It isn't until you get into 12 + inches of snow that they consider not opening the business.  That just doesn't seem right to a southern girl.

2.  Snow blowing is hard work.  Let me be clear - I have learned this one by observation only!  My poor husband gets out and clears our driveway, our sidewalk and then the driveway and sidewalk of one of our neighbors.  By the end of that, he is frozen and exhausted.  One of the good by-products of this is that he has met all our neighbors.  I looked out our window one day and saw that some stranger was clearing our sidewalk.  I said to my husband, 'some man is clearing our sidewalk'.  He said, 'yeah that's Mike.  I cleared his this morning'.  I don't even know who Mike is and my husband has bonded and exchanged favors. 

3.  Small dogs do not like snow.  Take dogs with legs that are less than 4 inches long, add 6 or more inches of snow and you have a situation that requires you to FORCE the dogs to go outside.  You must stand at the door and ensure that they go outside.  Then you must watch them while continuing to say to them, 'you do your business'.  Now I am sure that our neighbors think I am crazy because you know they can hear me.  But if you don't watch them, the dogs will just turn around and come back in the house.  They then do their business inside and appear to feel perfectly justified in doing so.  They look at me as if to say, 'you moved me here, you can clean it up.'

4.  Snow is pretty when it falls but it is ugly when it stays around.  It gets dirty from all the car exhaust and looks nasty.  All the salt that is used to melt it so you don't kill yourself turns the pavement white, gets on the bottom of your pants, etc. 

They say that we are going to get temperatures in the 40s this coming week.  Maybe it will melt some of the snow and we can start over. 

Stay warm y'all!