It's Beginning to Look A lot Like Syracuse

Yesterday morning it was raining really hard. There were flood warnings. It wasn't that cold. Molly left the house in gym shoes and a fleece. I wore rain boots. Facebook chatter was all about snow across the Midwest, but being seasoned by a Syracuse winter, I didn't bat an eye, confident that our snow would come.

At lunch time, I pulled on my boots and grabbed my umbrella to go grab a sandwich for lunch. The rain hit my umbrella in heavy clumps and the puddles were turning to slush before my eyes. On my way back to the Center, there was definitely white accumulating on surfaces, and I had to step carefully in order not to slip. Drivers seemed to be having a bit of difficulty. I called Jeff to ask him to tell me if he was aware of schools closing early.

"What?! We live in Syracuse! They aren't going to close schools." Jeff reminded me.

I got the same response from people at the Center. Schools closing? For this?

And then it sunk in. I live in Syracuse. People handle snow. It's almost a non-event. No news hype. No crazy drivers. The living in Southern Ohio reflex must have kicked in for a minute...

The kids barely set their school stuff down before they grabbed snow gear to play outside. I had to drag them in when it got dark (which is about 5:00 these days). Molly woke up hoping the Syracuse skies started their daily 1-2 inch snow refresher. I hear Anna's feet upstairs, and I'm sure the first thing she'll do is look out the window.

The boys in our family had different reactions. Biscuit must have forgotten what snow is, though he seems to have remembered this morning. He wanted nothing to do with it yesterday, but at the moment he's out exploring. Jeff seemed less than thrilled. He has been researching and yesterday bought a new snow blower (before it snowed). Between the time he bought the snow blower and the time our driveway became covered, he somehow threw out his back. Looks like snow removal might still be my chore. I shoveled the driveway. I don't like that gassy smell or the ultra-loudness. It might take another Syracuse winter for me to like snow blowers.