Grasshopper New Media Presents...

The weather is dreadful today in central Illinois. The snow is actually light compared to what I’m used to (I grew up 100 miles from here) but the wind is gusting up to 40 mph off the prairie. Our little house sits right on the edge of a huge open cornfield, exposing it to the bleak intensity of this Midwestern stormfront.

My husband got up this morning and hopefully checked the news for closings. He returned to the bedroom looking resigned.

“They never close the university,” he said.

I snuggled a little deeper into the covers, knowing The Poo would wake shortly. I sighed, facing yet another tedious day indoors. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, interrupted only by the cleaning required after these meals. It was just 6:45 a.m. and already I anticipated naptime, when I could sit quietly for 30 minutes before folding the laundry and working on my latest freelance project.

I saw my husband out the door, making sure he had his lunch and kissing him on the cheek. “Be careful driving,” I admonished. He rolled his eyes and pushed the back door open. A frigid blast of air swirled around me and The Poo, driving her into my arms. “Mommy!” she exclaimed. “What’s DAT?”

About 15 minutes into our building-block session a figure loomed against the window. I stepped back a bit when the door flew open again only to reveal my husband coated in snow and ice.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “There’s two feet of snow in the alley, and there are three cars already stuck in it.”

A smile bloomed across my face. Suddenly the hours ahead took on a new cast. Hot chocolate and cookies by the fireplace. A daddy to play with The Poo while I went to the den and worked. A dinner of soup and warm crusty bread. After shoveling the drive and front walk my husband’s hopes were confirmed by email - “the University of Illinois cancels all classes for Tuesday, Feb. 13.”

A snow day!

Photo courtesy of Kasia, used under a Creative Commons License.

[tags]snow day, home, love, snuggle, family[/tags]