Sssnnooooowwwwww!!!

The weekend before Christmas, this region was hit with the biggest snowstorm we've had in several years. News outlets called it "the storm of the century". How do they know? We're only nine years into this century, for Pete's sake! Anyway, Roanoke got about 2 feet of snow and nearly totally shut down. I had to go to work because hospitals never close. I really didn't have much trouble getting to work, and not just because my Jeep has 4WD. If people would drive slower and in a lower gear, they shouldn't have too many problems. If you drive like a moron, you'll land in a ditch!
The Call ins for Saturday morning started at 1130 pm. "There's.....snow......on the road!". No kidding. Snow is not selective, it falls where it wants to! "I can't see the road." See above. I wasn't very sympathetic. After all, I drove to Roanoke from the West Virginia mountains and I made it! Our monitor tech, Kerry, sat on I-81 for forever because a couple of trucks wrecked and blocked traffic. It took her 11 hours, but she showed up for work! She should get a raise for that! The roads were a little better on Saturday. All of the night shift staff came to work. Sunday call outs started at 1030pm, again. We scrounged together enough people to cover the unit. We survived the "big storm" and maintained the quality of care that I would want for anyone in my family.
At home, we got three feet of snow. Snow is a part of winter and the DOH crews do a fabulous job keeping the roads cleared. This snow fell so fast that they just couldn't keep up. A 6pm curfew was called by the Sheriff's department to keep people off of the road. There were a bunch of cars stranded in ditches already! By the time I got home Monday morning, the main roads were cleared and secondary roads were passable.
Last night, the snow started falling when I got to Covington, VA. It fell sporadically until I got to the highway leading to my home. Then, it came down heavily. The wind was strong enough to knock my car crazy! At times, the wind gusts and snow made for white out conditions. Slow down, be careful, keep both hands on the steering wheel, pray without ceasing. I got home safely. This morning, the snow that had fallen was gone (the snow from the weekend before is still here and probably will be till August!).
Snow makes the fields and mountains take on a different character. It smells fresh. The flakes fall like little feathers and float on the wind. Snow is one of my favorite things about winter . I love snow...........until April!

Gifts of the Wise Men

My kids learned a lot when they went to Sunday School. The Childrens' Minister, "Ms. Joyce" Dennis made learning Biblical truths fun. Her teaching has stayed with the kids as they have progressed into their adult years.
When Elliott was about five, he learned about the Wise Men and the gifts they brought to the baby Jesus. We give gifts to each other today because these men gave gifts to this very special baby on the first Christmas. Eyes sparkling, shaking with excitement at his new knowledge, Elliott listed these gifts for the rest of us in the car on the way home from church: "Gold, aaannnnd Myrrh, aaaannnnnd, uh, Frank......And, uh, Frank.......And, uh Frank......Oh yeah, Frankinatra!!!". Trying (very hard) to control my laughter, I gently explained to Elliott that Frankensence was the name of the gift, then explained what it is. Frank Sinatra was a singer, famous as one of the "Rat Pack" members, who's birthday was on December 12.
Frankinatra has become one of my favorite Christmas memories. Had God not sent His Son on that first Christmas so many years ago, we would have no need to celebrate. Thank you, God, for Your most precious gift to us, and for memories of special times.

Cold and dark

Yesterday, just as I discovered that the basement had flooded (AGAIN!), our power went off. Dave and I squeegeed as much water as we could into the sump pump but, of course, it won't come on without electricity! A call to the power company let us know that they were already aware that the power was out. It would be restored by 11:30 pm. OK. When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!
We bought a few staples of life: toilet paper and paper towels! When we got back home, Dave called to check on the progress of our power repair. Power will be restored by 6:00 pm TOMORROW!
Holy Cow! When the going gets really tough, the wimpy take a nap! That's just what I decided to do. Why is it that when I decide to nap, Dave has to wake me up to ask me what I'm doing? What does it look like I'm doing?!? Do I look like I'm solving our country's economic crisis? He decided to go visit his dad.
When I woke up, it was dark. The wind was howling. The cats were freaking out! This is not part of their routine! Dave had lined up our oil lamps, lighter, and flashlight on the kitchen counter. I lit the smaller lantern and went back to the bedroom. Half a dozen cats, a fleece blanket, and my knitting were all I needed. I worked away on a baby dress for Abbey, paying no attention to time. I fixed myself a dinner of left over ham, an orange, and a diet coke. I ate dinner by oil lamp light. How rustic!
Shortly after Dave called to let me know that he was on his way home, the power came back on! Lights, Heat, TV!! Just in time for Jeopardy! The basement flood dried up with the help of the propane heater. Things aren't so bad after all!