Snow Day

Big snow today. John had a snow day and I had a work-at-home day. I was restless at first—always happens. I dream of a day at home and then the reality is that I don’t know how I want to use it—too many possibilities. I was starting to fuss and feel frustrated with myself –should I read, write, research, do errands? Try to get to a meeting? Try not to?

Then it hit me: there were so many days over the years when we’d wished for and fantasized about being together on a snow day. It wasn’t possible and it gave those past snow days a kind of sad tinge.

But here we were now-- together, alone, snowed in.

I shook my head, turned up the heat, took John to bed --and turned up the heat. No more frustration.

"Ly" Day

We’ve had a big snow day today and in addition to dressing for the weather a day like this also accelerates word worries here at the home of a writer and an English teacher. Alas, a snow day is also “Watch Your Adverbs” day. Yes, sadly, on a bad weather day we are likely to hear the grating and lonely adjective that wants to be an adverb. The friendly and well-intentioned, “Drive safe” longs to be “Drive safely”. Ditto for “Drive careful” and its preferred “Drive carefully.”

But in addition to enjoying our word fussiness, we had a great day. John had no school but I had to get to work—my work increases in bad weather—so he did the cars and the shoveling and later brought lunch to my office. Tonight I came home to fresh pasta for supper. On a day like this I know we live happy and happily.