Piece of the Sun

It's been snowing for days. There's a thick, white blanket of snow covering the whole city. It dramatically changes the landscape, which is novel and entertaining, but it has also caused quite a few problems. Roads have been closed, traveling has been difficult, and people are unable to get to work. The first 2 things don't affect us at all, since Paul's work is within walking distance and public transit is doing just fine. And my work has been closed due to weather since last Wednesday!

Wednesday was not bad at all, but they thought it would snow bad so they closed work; Michal and I had a fun brunch and then went to the deserted mall for the last of her Christmas shopping. I did finally manage to find some cotton thermals (not fake ones made with nylon and polyester, but real clingy cotton ones with tight cuffs).

Thursday it wasn't supposed to snow at all and work was declared open, so I went to the bus stop, waited for 20 minutes for the very late, but properly-chained, bus to arrive. To my surprise Dr. Robertson was also on the bus; I've been catching many of the same afternoon buses with him lately. As we rode, the rain changed to snow and we watched out the window in horror as it stuck to the ground. That wasn't supposed to happen. Dr. R was concerned for his wife, who was driving around without chains (which were, until then, unnecessary). By the time we got to the school and jumped off the bus, there was over an inch of snow on the ground, traffic had slowed on the icy streets, and it was beginning to blizzard.

We just got into the Seminary building, took off our snowy coats and hats, got warm, and I was about to make myself some tea when someone announced, "They're closing the school and sending us home!" Not surprising, but I was concerned for those who had driven in and who might not be able to make it home again. What a hassle! Luckily, Farrah was in her office and some quick consultation with our respective husbands led to the ultimate plan for the day: knitting and hot apple cider at her place, snuggle with her little dogs, lunch, then downtown for some shopping. Perfect!

Since then, the online closure announcements have had my work closed. Which is nice for me, since our benefits cover "inclement weather closures" as paid days off. All of the professors had to have their grading done by last Friday, which must have been a hassle to finish if they couldn't get to work (let's hope they all took it home with them or finished early!), and of course I had things I wanted to finish up. But oh well! let it snow!