Another summer day, sort of

It’s another cold winter day. It has been over a month since my students have been at school on a Monday morning. It is our third bad weather day this year, and it means summer vacation will start three days later, maybe four if the schools call off tomorrow, which is highly likely. I think moms are at their whit’s end. I am, too. Last week it was cold, though not as cold or windy as it is today, or will be today. I had morning bus duty last week and it was cold. A few kids climbed off the buses wearing shorts, or a light jacket. I have no idea how they got out of the house dressed like that, but they did. It was cold. But, today is even colder and the temperatures are going to drop even more throughout the day.

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last Friday’s sunrise, on my way to school (and bus duty)

Today is W’s birthday, he’s 16 today, and actually, he’ll be officially 16 sometime around 10:30 PM. I remember the day well, though B probably remembers it differently. It seems like the other day, and some days it seems a million years ago. Saturday we watched him wrestle and take second place in the conference for his weight class. He has come a long way, we all have.

He got to sleep in this morning, a treat he would not have had without the weather day. Last night, we went to dinner at an Italian place near the city. The bad weather had begun rolling in during dinner and it was blowing snow on the way home, making for an interesting drive. When we got home, the Grammy’s were on. I wasn’t all that interested and wanted to watch Downton Abbey instead. I lost, and went to bed to read but, it wasn’t long before I was asleep. I have no idea how late the Grammy’s went or how long B and the kids stayed up.

I wanted to get a jump-start on the day, but slept in as well. Ivy came upstairs to let me k now it was time to get up. B followed me downstairs minutes later, then O. It wasn’t long before we were all awake. It was good to sleep in and catch up on needed rest.

Looking out the window, you would never know the temperature is below zero. You can see the trees sway, the snow blown into drifts, the snow a thick blanket of white across the lawn, footsteps smoothed over and filled in. It certainly is not a warm June day. Nevertheless, it is what we have today. Ivy has found her winter favorite spot in the dining room. The sun streams in on sunny days and she’ll reposition herself as the sunbeams streaming in change their direction. In June, she’d be in the front yard, the deck, or the back yard depending on the time of day, sunning herself. For today and tomorrow her trips outside will be brief, she is no fool.

As for me, I have a few errands and I will try to get some work done – grading, planning, rethinking, but for right now I am not the least bit motivated. It is summer, or might as well be. Tonight, I’ll be preparing and cooking a birthday dinner: steak, potatoes, and salad with birthday cake for dessert. That’s B’s department. So, I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Today is gonna be a great day, sort of, it’s all in what I make of it. Making the Days Count, even when summer vacation days come in January, and a cold January day, at that.

What’s the weather like where you are? What are you gonna do with it? 

12 thoughts on “Another summer day, sort of

    1. It seems like the weather pattern has us in a permanent funk – cold and snowy. Here it is our seventh snowiest on record. There is snow everywhere and no place to push it… the roads are getting narrower. But spring is on the way! I can feel it.

  1. What a lovely part of the country you live in. Isn’t it amazing how brilliant and warm the sun makes everything look and feel — even when the temperatures are frigid? It’s exactly that kind of weather in Rhode Island where I am. Not a cloud in the sky but 15 degrees. I’m not going out. Like Ivy, I’m no fool, either.

    We watched the Grammys instead of Downton Abbey. Only because we actually know someone who was up for a Grammy and we hoped to catch a glimpse of him and his wife. (Alas, he didn’t win, and we never saw them.) The Grammys were interesting and not what we expected, having never watched the show before. It was past 11:30 when the show got over.

    Happy birthday to your boy! He really lucked out getting to sleep in! My birthday was Saturday (25th). I slept in, too.

    Enjoy your week, Clay.

    1. Ivy’s in the sunshine warming herself, again.. she curled up on the couch with me this morning keeping my legs warm… the snow makes it seem even brighter and helps keep it cold, too. I noticed the moon rising through my bedroom window this morning when I woke up.. it was inspiring for a moment then I crawled back under the covers and stayed warm for a few more minutes. we are fortunate to have trees they are a blessing in the summer, and curse in the fall, and a lovely backdrop in the winter.. happy belated birthday! I hope it was a wonderful day.

  2. I wish you could box up some of that cold and ship it to me. Here in California we’ve had unusually and unseasonably warm weather. So much so that we’re breaking records. You CAN wear shorts and tank tops here.

    Problem – no water. No water means, fewer crops next spring, higher prices at the grocery store and God help us all if there’s a fire because there’s no water in any of the reservoirs to fight against it.

    Mother Nature is fickle to say the least.

    Stay warm and stay safe out there on the roads, Clay.

    Patricia Rickrode
    w/a Jansen Schmidt

    P.S. Don’t you love how the dogs always find the sunshine to lay in?

    1. Patricia, thanks for stopping by… I wish I could haul some of our excess water to you or reverse it to the Great Lakes.. our area drains to the Mississippi basin and the Great lakes could surely use a boost as well as the west. There have been years when it has been lean here as well, I looked back to last year and we didn’t get a significant snow until this time last year and it was only a couple of inches…. weather is a fickle being. It’s another cold one, but sunny even though school has been called off, the school is open (for teachers) today and I am heading there to work for a few hours…..there are TOO MANY distractions here – most of them self-imposed or created. Take care and I hope you get some rain or snow, or both! Clay

  3. Some gorgeous photos there, especially the large treescape at the bottom. Sadly, you know what weather we’ve been served up just now. But at least today’s promised hail never arrived, and we’re set for a less rainy week. Hope your son enjoys being 16!

    1. We are blessed to have the trees, they are maples and provide great shade in the summer and endless time in the fall raking them into piles to discard…. it’s another frigid day, but it is warming up tomorrow and the days are slowly getting longer. Much of the country is under a blanket of cold except the western states which are dry and warm. W had a good day, but was exhausted and went to bed immediately after the cake. Thanks for the good wishes. I hope you stay dry and the weather cooperates for you.

    1. It will warm up, it will warm up… I keep telling myself while clicking my heels together. Sorry to hear about your dad being stuck, we are all stuck inside. My daughter was out playing with a friend for 15 minutes yesterday and came in all frozen….. the good news about weather\snow days is that the cutoff is five, we only have to make up five, but we are at four days now… I’d rather be in the classroom today….oh well. Stay warm in your world and keep snapping bird photos!

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