December 19, 2009 11:50 AM
DC today: snow on snow on snow
Looking out our back door at 10 am this morning:
Somehow I think that God must be might pleased to allow record cold and snow across the globe just as the Church of Man-Made Climate Change - because it really requires faith that flies in the face of reason - to be letting out its True Believers following the confusion and chaos that reigned in Copenhagen.
Here in the Washington metropolitan area, we are enjoying the most wonderful snow we've seen since 2002! And our family is all settled in and ready to enjoy each other in that soft and special solitude and quiet that comes when you are surrounded by snow and unable to do anything other than enjoy.
But let me tell you about yesterday :)
When we hear in DC that there will be snow, that's all we talk about and think about. Everyone hits the grocery store to stock up. Usually we are way over-prepared and - for those who love snow - terribly disappointed as the projections decline and when the expected inches never materialize.
Yesterday was different as you could FEEL the impending storm. The sky was gray and the air was heavy. The temperature left no doubt that this would be a pure snowfall rather than the pathetic "wintry mix" we usually get. And for the first time in many, many years the projections of the length and amount of snowfall kept rising very hour.
We were expecting a 10-20 inch blanket before the weekend was out.
Like many people in Loudoun, we live in the country on a dirt road - about 25 minutes from the grocery stores in Purcellville and 40 minutes from major shopping in Leesburg. I was in Leesburg yesterday - along with what seemed like the entire surrounding population, whose gathering/survival impulses were exacerbated by the looming lost Christmas shopping days. I didn't have any shopping to do, for which I was grateful because judging by the traffic on the streets the lines at checkouts must have been formidable.
I went back home, but Matt drove me back to Leesburg to meet Tripp at 5 in the Bloom parking lot. Samantha and Kip had given us tickets to see Screwtape Letters at the Shakespeare Theater in DC. The Bloom lot was completely full and I can only imagine what the scene was inside. It was still not snowing.
It took us two hours to drive into DC - normally an hour drive but Friday night is always difficult so we were expecting it. Since curtain time was 8, we didn't have to stress about being late. And we even found a parking place on the street a block away. Everything was perfect and there was an air of expectancy among the people on the street - DC on Friday night is a very young and social scene - as we all knew that whether we were going into a restaurant or theater, it was sure to be snowing when we came out.
Screwtape Letters was excellent - will write more about it next - and sure enough, when we came out snow was falling. Big beautiful flakes with staying power - the kind that cling to your hair and coat. It felt like we were stars in a movie with the perfect scene set - walking down the street holding hands and finally - snow falling.
Tripp brushed off the snow and we started the long trek home. It was 9:45 and we called the kids to say we'd be home by 11:30, allowing some time to stop at Bloom for some milk.
What an adventure lay before us! Once over the bridge and into Virginia, Route 66 slowed to a 5-10 mph crawl and a three lane highway became two as no one could see the white lines anymore. Under the circumstances, I couldn't believe how many people were on the road - even though we were expecting so much snow, I think we were all taken by surprise at how intensely it began. Cars slipping and sliding in every direction - we even saw a car perched on a guard rail with three wheels off the ground.
We got to Bloom at 11:30 and found the milk section stripped to nothing - not a single container of any size or percentage. Throughout the store were other bare shelves, as though a swarm of locusts had descended and stripped certain especially appealing trees. We bought some eggnog instead and headed for home.
By now there were several inches of snow on the road and lots more slipping and sliding. Obstacles like the car that somehow got stuck diagonally across both lanes of Route 7, taking forever to get out of the spinning wheels situation and back in formation. I think all of us were pretty stunned and bewildered, some not knowing for sure if we would make it home.
If we'd been at all sleepy, the adrenaline resulting from a couple close calls - one where a pickup truck almost swerved into my door - kept us hyper-alert. Only when we got home did I realize how tense we'd been. So grateful to set foot on our own territory, I'd almost made it to the back door when I was ambushed by Matt and Zach with a bunch of snowballs.
All I can say is that in some ways My Boyz will never grow up. They still love to play around and wrestle each other - and yes, even think that it would be funny to pelt Mom with snowballs at 1:00 in the morning. Enough said.
We slept in so late this morning - thanks to Maddy who got up with the Downzers and watched cartoons.
Tripp is in the kitchen making a jumbo batch of his special spaghetti sauce. As I'm finishing this - I've paused to help with cooking and to work with Daniel on our favorite Christmas puzzle - it looks like a blizzard outside. There is at least a foot of snow and much more to come - they're promising snow through tomorrow morning, bringing a total accumulation of 20-23 inches.
Living where we live, this means we definitely will not be going anywhere anytime soon. The schools' Winter Vacation Christmas break begins December 23, but I don't think kids will be back to school until 2010.
What a wonderful Christmas gift God has given us this year! In case we still hadn't gotten it about the need to slow down and concentrate on what's important, now we have no choice.
A view from the front:
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Comments
Wooo-Hooooo!
I enjoyed reading about your "drama".
I LOVE getting "stuck" out in snowy weather!!!
We've had our own snow-fall drama here in W-S, NC. We drove an hour south yesterday, as it first started falling, to deliver boxes and boxes of gifts for a mission project that our family has participated in. The big event took place today, but we knew we would be able to travel to it after our little storm. It was exciting and beautiful to drive back home and see the landscape be whiter and whiter with each mile.
We've had about 8", which is quite a bit for Forsyth County!
Hey, on another note, husband says, "GOOD!" to all of the DC snow fall--maybe this will slow or shut down what is going on in the Senate.
Hope you continue to enjoy the snow. I'm off to put on a yummy pot of stew.....
Posted by: von | December 19, 2009 1:56 PM
My mom called from their home in Falls Church today - she said there's two feet of snow on their back deck! We're supposed to be driving down for Christmas on Monday...hope the storms are clear by then. Matthew and I are going to the Christmas Eve Mass at the National Cathedral...I am so looking forward to it.
Posted by: Becky Miller | December 20, 2009 12:18 AM
SOOooo enjoyed reading your adventure, and even about the boys pelting you with snowballs! I know it can't be roses all the time, but boy what a happy family you seem to have Barbara! So very blessed!! The pictures are stunning!!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Kristy in Germany
Posted by: Kristy in Germany | December 20, 2009 1:16 PM
