It’s the subtle things that make the day. Have you ever noticed that?
For instance, yesterday, it was the snow storm of all snow storms here in Arkansas. Snowpocolypse, Snowmageddon, they were calling it, and parts of the state were buried under close to two feet of snow. That’s a bad enough storm to be considered bad anywhere in the US. Around here, in north central Arkansas, half a foot fell, and that was enough to shut the whole area down completely.
The snow fell steady for most of the day. Once it started, it didn’t stop until well after sundown. The news reported areas of thunder and told people to stay in if they heard it. The major highway from Little Rock to West Memphis was so bad that, at one point, 30 tractor trailers all jackknifed at the same time and closed the road for a long, long time.
My little town was peaceful and deathly quiet. I imagine the only thing open was Walmart. No surprise there. City, county and state offices were closed, along with federal offices in the cities.
Yet, promptly at 2:30, there’s the mail man. I hear his thump, thump, the squeak of the mailbox opening then quickly slammed shut as usual. All that effort and risk just to deliver junk mail. That’s all that ever comes via USPS since I’ve opted for paperless everything. Junk mail. I delivered it promptly from the mail box to the garbage can.
The snow that fell would have been a skier’s delight. It was a light, soft powder that quickly piled up a good depth. So much of it fell that it packed itself down to create a layer of ice underneath. Slick and slickery, and since this state has very little in the category of snow removal equipment, it’ll take Mother Nature to do the majority of the work. And today, she went right to work. The clear blue sky let the sun shine at full force, and any roadway exposed was quickly warmed, the snow melted and turned to huge puddles. We now have mini frozen ponds everywhere. Still, everything remained closed today; all city, county and state offices didn’t open.
Once again, this evening brought the news that all area schools will be closed tomorrow too. Government offices are opening late. A few kids in the neighborhood made a half-hearted attempt to sled down the little hill on our block. They tried while it was snowing yesterday, then tried again today despite the patches of pavement peeking through. But, one or two tries and the kids were back inside to get warm again. It’s unlikely that warm enough boots, gloves and hats are sold here for any real play in snow.
But, no mail today. No matter. By Sunday, temps will be back up in the 60’s and things will be back to normal.
