Would you believe....part trois?

OK, guys, here is yet another picture of my patio table under snow. A not so careful observation of this picture (taken this morning) and the one below it from a few days ago, will show you that, yes, we've had more snow! In the paper this morning I read that we are on the verge of declairing a state of emergency! Schools are closed throughout the area, Spokane is RENTING extra plows to clear the roads, and our roads are getting narrower and narrower with street crews and police and firemen working extra, exhausting shifts! Yikes! Oh, and we are supposed to get more snow this weekend, but the weather won't get warm enough for this snow to melt at all before the next dumping! Thankfully someone plowed my driveway while I was gone teaching yesterday, and they thought to plow out the mailbox, too, so we finally got mail for the first time this week! ("Neither rain nor wind, nor snow, nor ice...." yeah, yeah!)
Stay tuned for Saturday's picture! I hope the table holds up!

Snow Day, part deux!

Another snow day - ho hum! But this one is different - this is some SERIOUS snow! I looked out the back door and noticed that the snow was not accumulating under the patio table, so you can see how deep it really is! Holy Cow! And we've got more snow coming Tuesday and Thursday! The kids around here may be going to school until July to make up for the days they might miss this week! Sure is pretty though, right? Hot, hot, hot, Hot Chocolate!

Life is never boring even for empty nesters!

OK, I'm taking a cue from you girls who don't always post pictures, so I figure if I have something interesting to say, I can say it without having to 'illustrate' it too! Here goes. Monday started out as a pretty regular day - I went for PT with Lori Ann, and she leaned on my shoulder with her elbow, and I'm really GLAD she did. I'll trade temporary pain for longterm relief! Tuesday I was going to clean the house, but I slept in the chair most of the day, except for the time I thought I might need to 'unload' the breakfast I hadn't eaten.... at least I lost a couple of pounds! Hope I can manage to keep them off....
Here's the really interesting part! Wednesday I subbed at CHS for the choir teacher. It was finals week, so we had 2 one our study periods, one 2 hour test period, lunch, and a final 2 hour test period. Mr. Nelson came through during the first study hour and introduced himself, walked through the room, checked out the practice rooms and left. I thought that might have been routine, but I found out later that it wasn't! In the middle of the first 2-hour test block, one of the administrators came into the room and handed me a pink square of paper with the words "For Your Eyes Only" printed across the top. (I have to admit my first thought was of James Bond, but this was actually reality...) He said not to mention anything to the students yet, but we were in a modified lock-down and no one would be allowed to leave the campus for lunch (it would be lunch time in about an hour). The police were searching for a student who was suspected of being involved in a theft the night before. He was a student at CHS. That's why Mr. Nelson was in the choir room earlier! They were making a sweep of the school to make sure the kid wasn't hiding somewhere in the school!
Well, as it turned out, they got the kid before lunch started. He was at LCHS - which ended up being in a full-fledged lock-down! He had stolen guns, ammo and scopes from a home and the police were tipped off by his parents. There were 12 police cars (both marked and not) at both schools, and when they saw him drive into the parking lot they nabbed him. Yikes! We didn't get the details until lunch time when it was all over. Some of the teachers complained about being left in the dark for so long, and I understand their point, but I was glad I didn't really know what was going on. I'd have been MUCH more nervous! You can read all about it in today's Press!
Oh, yeah, I was at school again today, but all I did was sit through the study times and one test. Ms. Monitz doesn't have a 7th hour class, so I got to leave at 11:45!
My advice? Prayer - don't leave home without it!

SNOW DAY!!!

Well, I was supposed to be teaching French at Lake City today, instead we got a snow day! I think I'm happier about that than the school kids are - and I don't know why - I like teaching French...
Anyway, I took this picture yesterday thinking you might like to see how much snow we've gotten, but this morning there is even more....
Check out today's picture of the back yard! You can really see the difference in the ammount of snow on the railings around the porch!

And then we can come to the front yard and play "find the Christmas decorations"! The penguins are buried - all you can see (if you look closely) is one tiny black wing poking out of the mound of snow. Poor penguins! But the snow is great. It's still falling, and we just paid some guy $20 to plow the driveway that is already covered in a layer of snow only 1 hour later! But, it's all good! Time for some hot chocolate and marshmallows! Hope Oprah is good today!