Slice of Life: #52 Stories, 2/52: Snow Memories

Yesterday's two hour late start and dusting of snow plunged me into snow memories.  And yes, I am a retired teacher, but I'm still as eager as the kids for a snow day. Somehow, a snow day is a license for slow, for cozy, for pajamas, for hot chocolate, for curling up with a book. 

I grew up with my own personal knight in shining armor, my daddy. And at no time did his armor shine more brightly than when it snowed. He took delight in taking to the roads where no other tire had trod. Snow was a challenge that he gladly took on with his trusty mud and snow tires. I remember the time that he walked almost three miles from our home to Tandy Town, where mom worked as fabric manager at Ben Franklin, so that he could drive her home on the snow covered roads. When I was teaching middle school in our hometown and snow came in the middle of the day, my car would be the only one in the lot with a clear windshield and a pre-warmed interior. That's one of the benefits of being the youngest and having a retired dad who loved rescuing damsels in distress.

But when I was teaching 7th and 8th grade at Monte Casino in Tulsa, there was no knight forthcoming at the end of a snowy day (at least not initially). I called Lance and he told me that he was working and wouldn't be coming to my rescue. This was a dragon that I could slay! 

I entered the snow covered parking lot and said a prayer or two. My tires spun and I slid, unable to conquer the small hill in the parking lot. After numerous tries, our headmaster Mr. Peters, a seasoned Ohioan, ambled out and asked if I could use his help. I slid into the passenger seat and after several slippery tries, he got me out of the lot and pointed toward 21st Street. I crept along those snow covered streets and prayed myself home. 

And then, luckily, I found myself with homes that were walking distance from the schools where my children attended and teaching in a community where we laughingly say that school is closed when the first flake falls. There was even the time we had a no snow "snow day" when the predicted snow never arrived. 

When people comment that they can handle the snowy roads, it's the other folks that worry them, I cringe inside. I am the other folk they worry about. If at all possible, I do not venture out on snowy roads. And so if I'm needed at daughter's house to babysit tomorrow, I'll wait patiently for my knight in shining armor (son-in-law Will) to arrive and ferry me over bridges and freeways in his trusty steed and up the slippery hill to his castle.