Snow Dregs

Anyone who has ever lived in or around Atlanta knows that once every three or four years we get a significant snow event. Yesterday was one of those days. I made the mandatory trip to the grocery store for supplies Saturday afternoon with my sunroof open and the windows down—it was 69 degrees. The checkout girl and I scoffed at the prediction of one to three inches of snow, really! Still, there I was buying milk just in case. 

What is it about the very mention of the word snow that turns even the most level headed person into a blithering idiot? Perhaps it is the thought of being snowed in with the family unit for days with no electricity. Maybe it's the fact that our thriving metropolis has thirty year old hand me down salt trucks from the tri state area that no one is quite sure how to use. It could be that one driver on the road we're afraid of that insists on going out when they know good and well they should sit their happy ass at home. You know who you are... 

So, the snow came. It came down for hours—big, fat, wet snowflakes that eventually covered the ground about three inches! Children and adults alike emerged from their hovels to marvel at nature's beauty. I love the sound of falling snow and the laughter of children far off in the distance. There is a purity and innocence about it that warms the heart on even the coldest day. 

Homemade hot cocoa warms pink little fingers in the first stages of frostbite after attempting to make a snowman sans gloves. Scarves, pants and shoes hang dripping from the mantle as the fire strains to get hot enough to dry them. Little girls share a chair and a heap of blankets and quilts. They sip their hot mugs and recharge, speaking in hushed tones. They giggle quietly. I observe, careful not to break the spell. It's magical. 

As the snow wanes, the girls turn their attention to other things. Wet snow turns to slush and then disappears from the roads—another benefit to sporadic southern snow events, it doesn't last long. Clear roads and warmer temps both point to the inevitable, no snow day Monday, or so any rational person would surmise. Well, this is the south, and yes, school was canceled today. (OMG!!) So, what do you do on a no snow, snow day? Answer: play in the snow dregs in the backyard for as long as you can, and save some in the freezer as a reminder because it may be another three years before we see it again.