I love a good blizzard.

I really do.  Part of it is because I work at home, so closing the roads doesn't cost me anything, but that's a really tiny part.  Part of it is I love being at home.  It's my favorite place on earth, which is why Jay has to really sell the idea of 'vacation' to me every year.  When the snow flies, I'm stuck in my favorite place with my favorite people and as long as we don't lose power, it's like a party in my head.  

Mostly I love the way a blizzard transforms the world.  Contrary to what my kids have accused, I'm not all about the cheap food; I'm all about aesthetics.  If it looks good, I'm for it.  You can't really argue that there's anything more purely beautiful than a deep and sparkly snowfall.  Not only does it look wonderful, mysterious, soft and inviting (trying to lure you out into it so as to kill you, as nature is wont to do) but it transforms everthing inside as well.  There's no light as pleasing to me as that reflected off of snow.

This has been, or is- it seems like it's finished, but it may just be taking a breather- a particularly lovely blizzard.  The snow started out wet and icy but after the first inch or two, which we cleared away quickly, the snow became lighter and fluffier.  It wasn't windy until last night, so shoveling it wasn't terribly uncomfortable and it's warm outside.  Over twenty with snowfall is winter perfect.

Last night, Jay ran to the store to make sure we had staples for being socked in.  He also came home with the fixin's for jambalaya.  Mussels, anduille and shrimp, Oh MY!  So delicious.  Of course, living in Mpls, being socked in isn't really a problem.  We live on a snow emergency route, so our street has already been plowed several times.  We just have to clear the driveway again and dig out the bottom and it's clear sailing back to the grocery store.  We'd have tons of food if it weren't Friday.  Lent, you know?  Can't eat the chicken, corned beef, taco's, bacon or ham in the fridge.  We have plenty of eggs, however.  Maybe it would be fun to see how long we can go without visiting the gocery store.

The kids don't have school today.  Not a snow day, a conference day.  But the conferences were cancelled because of the snow, so it's just fun.  If it weren't for the show I'm supposed to mount in April, I'd use today to rewatch the extended version of LOR, all fifteen hours of it, on my big screen downstairs.  I may do it anyway.

I guess my favorite part of a blizzard is it gives you the perfect excuse to do nothing.

Unfortunately, sometimes you really want to do something.  My folks were supposed to fly to Florida for their annual fun in the sun month.  They'll get there, just not this morning.  Jay's taking his team up to Thief River Falls this weekend for the MCCC NJCAA regional tournament but not this morning.  Roads all over the state are closed and the bus company said tomorrow morning is the earliest they would go.  No one has a choice so plans have to be altered and everybody has to roll with it.

About fourteen years ago, Jay took his first team to the National tournament.  They started off beating the heavy favorites in the first round, became the tournament darlings and were on a smoking roll right through the semi's.  With the support of the crowd and thier own momentum it seemed in the cards that they would win a National title.  Then a blizzard hit.  The championship game had to be postponed, no one could make it through the mountains (Catskills) to the town with the gym.  Two days late, the national championship game was finally played in the local highschool gym with no one in attendance but the two teams and the janitor who unlocked the gym for them.  We lost.  Them's the breaks.

But I love a good blizzard.

 

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