Pre-Winter Remembrances

Well, I think I will continue my blog. I will try to update it at least every two days. I will not feel pressured to update it everyday since I have been reassured that I do not have to do this. I will try to write interesting and meaningful, yet self-absorbed blog posts.

Today is one of those dreary type November days. The ones that are cold, yet there is not a flake in the air. It is hard to appreciate such chilly weather unless there is the beauty of snow to back it up. Since I was raised in North Dakota, I am no stranger to winter weather. I am not talking about 10 degrees "Oh, man, it's cold" weather. I am talking "the wind chill is 80 below zero and we are calling off school until it warms up to 60 below" weather.

When I was teaching in North Dakota, I did recess duty everyday. I did my best to maintain an attractive winter wardrobe, but it was tough. Most of my colleagues knew me by my large navy blue wool coat, red plaid scarf, and big boots. We HAD to go out to recess unless it was less than 30 below zero. I tell my colleagues this fact and they can't believe it. Thank goodness for multiple sources for information because I would check several weather websites until I found one that said it was less than 30 below. I could bear the cold, but some days, I just didn't want to. We'd stay inside and play boardgames together and that was fun too.

One element to winter that I miss in regards to the recess field is the big, huge pile of snow that is created by snowplows every morning that they plow the parking lot. Students would create slides and steps. They had strict justice to what the rules of the hill were. They were never allowed to play "King of the Hill", but we knew that once the dismissal bell rang, they were pushing each other off left and right. Who wouldn't?

My second year of teaching, we had our first blizzard on October 24. I walked to school so I was stuck walking home when school got let out early with snow up to my waste. I couldn't even walk in the streets because they were not plowed yet. It was great. I loved it. Then, you take your winter clothes off and lay down on the couch and take a big nap.