Snow

Last Wednesday (the day after returning from VT) we had snow here in the DC area. Only about 2-3 inches, but certainly enough to reek havoc. We Washingtonians are pathetic when it comes to snow. We're ready to call off school at the first sight of flurries. Let 2-3 inches accumulate, and it's like Armeggedon... traffic is a nightmare, cars sliding off the roads into ditches or into other cars, and the grocery stores look like a tornado has blown through. Everyone scrambles for milk, bread, and toilet paper, as if they're likely to be snowbound for several days. This is DC - the snow will melt the next day! But the snow sure was pretty. :-)

Thursday the snow all melted and everyone returned to their normal ways... for a few minutes. Then came the word that we were in for more snow on Saturday. Yep, according to the early forecasts on Thursday, we "may or may not get up to 4 or more inches". Now, what is that supposed to mean?? (How can it be UP to 4 or MORE inches?) Then on Friday the picture became clearer: snow would start at a leisurely pace Saturday morning, before turning into near white-out conditions by the mid-afternoon, then taping to flurries again by nightfall. 5-9 inches was the prediction.

So Friday night you couldn't find a parking space at the grocery store, let alone a carton of milk or a loaf of bread. Same at the video rental place. Everyone was preparing to be completely snowbound for several days. (Never mind the fact that in the Washington DC area 1 out of every 2 vehicles is a 4-wheel drive SUV.)

So rather than circle the grocery and video store for an available parking spot, we decided to go have dinner. It is our Friday night ritual to eat dinner out. To me it doesn't feel like you've officially started the weekend until you're sitting in a restaurant on Friday night.

Then around 8:30 we went back to the grocery and video store and had no trouble parking. Why were we there? Because a snow storm was coming!

We did get about 5-6 inches of snow on Saturday; the light powdery kind that you can easily push off your car with a single swipe of your arm. It was really beautiful. I love the snow... as long as it goes away the next day.