Snow Day

When we were posted to Azerbaijan, often friends would ask us about the weather.  Was it pleasant? Did it snow much there?  I had read the post reports and watched the weather for awhile, so I felt pretty confident in telling everyone that we would be fine, not much if any snow to worry about.  Maybe the wind, but not snow.

And if I had lived here last year, I would have been right.  According to friends, the weather stayed in the fifties or high forties all winter.  This winter, however, is evidently unusual, and in November, work was cancelled due to snow.  Evidently the bad driving is made completely disastrous when four of five inches of snow are added to the mix.

This past week or so, it has snowed every other day or so.  When I looked at the forecast a few days ago - low thirties and snowing or raining the whole time, I remembered exactly why I hate karma.  The snow, however, hasn't been much, just the frozen equivalent of drizzle.

Yesterday it finally worked itself up to half an inch of accumulation, and so the girls went outside and tried to ride their bikes on snow-covered tile while Edwin slipped and fell every five steps or so.  It wasn't much, but the girls were thrilled.  "Mom, we played in the snow!!" they told me the rest of the day, after which Sophia would add, "but it's not good for riding bikes in."

So this morning when I woke up and opened the curtains to this,

I was shocked.  When I went to get the children from their room, Edwin was excitedly shouting "no! no! no!' and gesturing to the window.  I suppose if they're happy it's okay.  But right now Brandon is outside playing with the children and I'm nice and warm inside, which is how it should be.