Jan 27, 2009
The Return Of Ten-Word Tuesday.
174, 176, 219, 331, 335, 381, 406, 422…
This is Bossy standing by the window when she was a girl, and those numbers represent the school closings being read over the transistor radio in her family’s kitchen.
Except Bossy’s childhood window included a floor to ceiling view from the 19th floor, and the radio in the kitchen was probably a JVC boom box, but you know where Bossy is going with this. Just like you know it won’t be worth the fare or time to get there.
Anyway. Standing there, attention diverted by the nasal drone of the broadcast, there was nothing like the crushing disappointment of having your school’s number skipped over — just like there was no better feeling than hearing that number, because you could go back to bed! Except you never really went back to bed because of all that frosty adrenaline and the promise of a distended cookie dough stomachache.
Which is what today’s Ten-Word Tuesday is all about. In exactly ten words, can you tell Bossy about your favorite childhood snow day memory?
And be sure to check back later today for the flakiest snow day stories on the web.
Only time snow fell in my Florida town, 1977, amazing.
Blizzard of ‘78 and making igloos out of snow mounds!
Trekking to grandma’s house with gifts of milk and cigarettes.
Grandparent’s house, homemade cinammon rolls and tons of grandparently love!!
Brownies Bossy and her friend Lydia made. Oh, and snow.
Rare in NC, any snow day was miraculous to us.
Blizzard of 1978-79, throwing sister head first into a snowdrift.
Southern California doesn’t have snow. School every stinkin’ day. Sigh.
Blizzard of ‘79, sledding, hot cocoa, no school for days
No school! Sledding. Hot chocolate. Friends over. On a Tuesday!
Sledding at Gram’s house with my brother and many cousins!
I grew up in Phoenix, what is a snow day?
The woods out back looking like an ice-frosted fairyland.
No teaching lazy soft duvet smiling hookie day with chocolate.
shoveling snow for money, blowing it on candy and Mad.*
*the literary magazine
‘78 Blizzard. Sledding. Grilled cheese, tomato soup, hot cocoa. Pure joy.
Lived in Cleveland. Surely were many. Can’t remember. Too old.
Building snow forts with my siblings in the front yard.
No snow days in Texas. But Hurricane days a plenty.
But Kerri. Your parents are working. You love me, right?
Rural Mississippi Snow – we thought it was an enthusiastic cropduster.
Blizzard of ‘78ish – first time classes were cancelled at UConn.
When I convinced dad our school district had been called.
11th birthday – cousins snowbound for days – playing outside – what fun!
28 Inches of snow, school was out for a week
FL= storm days. Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse. Not a favorite.
Whoa – all of us reminiscing about ‘78.
And, today? All three of my kids are out because it is RAINING here in VA.
Blizzard ‘78, 81/2 months pregnant, no power, scared to death!
Same as #2: Giant igloo snow forts in ‘78.
Where do schools have numbers and not names?
Blizzard 67 – Took Barbies out to Ski the drifts
No snow day memory for Blog This Mom! because California.
Snow ice cream, stovetop hot chocolate, Krispy Kremes with Dad.
Snow in Texas? We hoped for ice. Frozen paradise.
Since I was born and raised in Louisiana I only remember one snow day as a child. There were barely enough snow to cover the ground. The kid next door, Bud, worked so hard to make a snowman. He started with a little ball of snow and rolled that over every inch of the yard he could to pick up enough snow to make a scraggly snow man….
Coco
Snow did not reach Southern California coastal towns, damn it.
I had no snow days, but tsunami days were great!
Nineteen inches of snow; snow-woman with great big tits!
It melted. Kids went to the mall. Principal was pissed!
Frolicked in rare snow wearing plastic bags over our shoes.
Had lice on only snow day I can remember. FAIL.
A grilled cheese sandwich, tomato soup, and Constant Comment tea.
Snow Day? Temperature in excess of 100 our thing. Swimming!
grew up in southern California. Never had a snow day
Radio competition. 107th caller. Won 107 dollars. Rolling in dough.
Mom had oven on for heat; trying to kill us?
Hot Cocoa, marshmallows, coming in from the cold to drink!
Neighborhood adults hosed down the track, creating a skating rink.
(The track at the Rutgers Avenue school field. Good times!)
Tons of snow, huge piles, great forts, frozen butt, hot bath
Boston, BLIZZARD OF ‘78! No driving allowed for several days.
P.S.
#20 SCARES me. Should Bossy report that?
Brother 3 me 8 – he stepped off porch into snowdrift – disappeared!
Today’s a snow day for me! Gotta love that!
Clothes. Sweater. Jacket. Hood. Mittens. Feet into breadbags. Boots. OUT.
Seven foot snow drifts- no cancellation. Drizzle? And we’re free.
From Minnesota, surprisingly had few. Or we’d never leave home
My brothers and I built a four foot snow fort.
My school rarely closed for snow, it had to be a blizzard of biblical proportions. But, during the Holloween week of my 7th grade year, my last to dress up and trick-or-treat, the snow fell and fell and fell. School closed for 4 days! in a row, and the car we rode in to secure the candy loot (rural living is quite different from the burbs) got stuck in the snow twice.
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” on radio and hot gingerbread men.
We never had snow days. We did have hurricane days.
March 1981: snow in Tallahassee. Run, fall, cold, come inside.
Sadness when our Dad’s school district closed; but not ours.
Saskatchewan winter: tons of snow. No snow days. tough luck.
Illegally climbing over fences to ice skate–with my parents!
Unusual blizzard conditions made smile. I went for a walk.
least favorite: figuring out school would be open tomorrow. rats.
I grew up in Tucson. Snow days were movie fiction.
No snow in SoCA have to ditch and forge note,
Grew up in Middle Canada. What is a snow day?
In Canada, the schools don’t close. Even during a blizzard.
We don’t have snow in Sounthern California…just sunshine baby!
Going to Tahoe, making snowmen and snowangels. No yellow snow.
My favorites are NOW, when my kids are home. Really.
adult snow day memory: best date ever with now husband.
Silence. Fireplace warmth, hot tea, hearing ice crack tree branches.
Coal black Chow Chow turned glistening white by falling snow.
Nebraska. 1987. Senior. No school for 3 days. Pure bliss.
In Fla, no snow days but we had hurricane closings!
Mom called in, made cookies and snow angels with us.
No snow days in Santa Monica. Had earthquake days though.
Cross-country skiing to the grocery store; brother leads the way.
hot cocoa, wet jeans, spritz cookies, numb toes, runny noses
My 19th birthday! First snow day at Pitt since ‘93.
I grew up in San Francisco. No snow except 1976.
No snow days. Lived close enough to walk. Poor me.
Empty fridge box
Pair of old skis
Tow rope
Need I say more
College closed. Stole cafeteria trays to go sledding on campus.
Blizzard of 1978, beer run on back of a snowmobile!
Bus got stuck in snowdrift; kids on board loved it!
playing out back with my sister, early, cold, white, silent.
Most recently….http://blackbeardswyfe.blogspot.com/
As a kid, we would rarely have snow, but the best thing was coming in and warming our hands against the clothes dryer! Sounds lame, but the laundry smelled so sweet and all was well in my five year old world!!
Bermuda…hurricane day instead? Oops. Too scary. Never mind.
Snowplow rumbling by at six a.m., sounds muffled, warm bed.
I went to school in Arizona. Damn that sunshine state.
Extra time with mom. She is just as excited. Snow!
It doesn’t snow on the central coast of California, boo.
Galloping ponies in the deep snow writing our names, joy.
Lived in Saudi Arabia. No snow days in that heat.
Bossy, what is snow? Southern Californians are wimps.
Walking the dog in snow and sneaking cigarettes at 17.
http://thaxtonfam.blogspot.com
Never had a snow day – the Caribbean stays surprisingly warm.
Georgia doesn’t get enough snow, poor deprived children missing out..
cookie sheet sleds, dad comes on 3-wheeler, OMG he’s fun!
5th grade, best blizzard EVER (Michigan), drifts everywhere sledding non-stop
Vast expanse of white backyard, had it all to myself.
School was my escape from home. Favorite memory equals SCHOOL.
Hitting cranky mrs Munson in the head with a snowball
Mom Mom still makes homemade doughnuts every time it snows!
when mom predicted no school, night sledding on Dad’s back
Honestly, they all blur together. None really stand out. Sorry.
Mom wating for me at bus stop with sled.
Tallahassee, Florida. Only snowed twice. Never enough to cancel school.
In ‘78, it snowed 2 feet. Our bus got stuck.
Never had snow day in South Texas. Just tornado drills.
I forgot about those numbers!!!! Grew up in Pa (think our magic number was 155!!!). Here in Va a snow day is so rare that they just say the school name. What a great memory.
79 was a great year for snow though!
Opening garage door in 1978; couldn’t see anything but snow.
Pathetic stick-and-leaf covered Oklahoma snowmen. No snow left on lawn.
Frozen pond. Twirling snow shovel thrill ride powered by Daddy.
(We had bread bags on feet and hands too!)
Avalon, NJ 1977. The bay froze completely.
Fireplace. White bear skin rug. Mugs of steaming hot rich cocoa thickly topped with marshmallow cream. Favorite Book. Husband home early–hey that’s today!
NYC snowstorm of ‘96. First and last snow day.
60’s in NJ: many: building forts, wet socks, hot cocoa.
Adult: 24″ Blizzard of ‘82 in STL, X-C skiing to get Sunday newspapers for neighbors, stuck till Thursday w/ grad school beau at home, peanut butter cookies.
Snow days: the one thing you got on us Californians.
Never knew the joy of snow days in Mesa, Arizona.
sisters, toasty radiators, snowy windows, freshly baked bread, hot cocoa
The ice storm of 76 (was it?) sliding downhill on my blue piece of rolled up plastic sled.
(Ya, ya, that was more than ten…will bossy sue me?)
Teenage me, best friend, doing donuts, empty parking lots. WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
Trash bags taped around shoes, socks for gloves – rare snow.
Texas 1985: snowing. i think i’m gonna like this USA.
Seeing the sparkly snowflakes under the street lights at night.
HEARING number on beige transistor radio “kyw news radio 1060″
live in chicago, spent blizzard 78 in california, nuf said.
Snowbank six feet high, Dad dug tunnel, Mom made cocoa.
3/13/93, birthday, snowed four feet, drank in local Irish Pub
What is snow? Palmtrees, heatwaves, barefoot to school, and ice-cream!
Kiting in a blizzard and sledding into a horse trough.
Blizzard of ‘79 following snowplow after high school basketball game!
window watching, but could not play. tonsillectomy the next day.
Ice Storm 2007 – Austin TX – moved in with now-husband
Snow ice cream ~
Went to school in Michigan – no such thing as snow day.
Seriously Bossy, are you messing with your Aussie peeps?
Worst heatwave in HISTORY we are going through and you talk about SNOW?
Cruel Bossy. Very cruel.
Hmmmmmmmmm, nope can’t remember. I drink too much I’m sure.
We used to get snow; now we just get rain.
315 was my school’s number. KYW, wet snow clothes and mittens.
9 family self portrait snow people…tripod…Dad slipping….”click”
and hopefully…..tomorrow…..
driving to the snow as it never snowed atmy home
Spending night at friend’s. Parent’s SaintPatrick’sDay blowout canceled. Leftovers galore!
Blizzard of ‘78… walked across the L.I.E. Loved every minute.
Alaska. No snow days, only waiting for bus at -60F.
I grew up in Los Angeles, so no snow days for me as a kid. But when I was a teacher, the absolute BEST snowday was really a snow week and a half. The blizzard of 78. I was in northern MA on the New Hampster border. I was sick with the flu all weekend and stayed home on Monday when it started to snow. By Tuesday we were snowed in. By Wednesday our town had 55″ of snow on the ground. You read that right. I could not get the door open, the snow was above the first floor windows, and I had a couple of dogs that NEEDED to be out. So I called the police who called the coast guard (right down the street from me, at the oldest coast guard station in the country) who came and dug my door out. The dogs went out, but they only had a path to and from the door to the curb. The street wasn’t plowed for a week. The neighbors all came out and shoveled a nice big path so we could at least walk to the bars. That was the only thing opened. We cross country skied everywhere. It was wild!
Tunnels, boot lost, toes froze, heat vent saved them!
Southerners transplanted to Connecticut. Snowflakes bigger than biscuites! FAR OUT!
Do heat days count? I grew up in California.
the ONE day it snowed in thirty years- thanks Texas
Much snow at college – boyfriend now husband ,
Dance-a.Thon
It used to snow on my birthday but no closings.
Getting so much snow, school was closed for a week.
Head to toe in Ski-doo clothing, riding snowmobiles all day.
Grew up in NYC. PS 199 was never closed. Waaah.
Ninety minute late start- always missed the bus, on purpose!
snow drifts over my head, frozen toes and crackling fire
Oh, dear. The words “favorite” and “snow” never find themselves in my mouth at the same time. That’s why I fled the Adirondacks and moved to Hawai`i… where I am now typing this wearing wool sox, fingerless gloves, and a heating pad in my lap. Yes, it’s winter in Hawai`i, too!
Rare occassions. Watched Little House on the Prairie in bed.
What’s snow? Floods canned school; played in creeks, happily drenched.
Carolina girl transplants to Canada, loves swirly crunchy snowiness
Wet mittens, wet hat, wet snowpants, cold cheeks, happy heart!
Houston in 1972. Six inches! I barely remember. Like magic.
Grandma’s bottomless cookie jar, Grandpa loves bourbon and his pipe.
Grew up in Cali.. got screwed over on snow days?
Digging a snow burrow out front; the Toyota almost buried.
Wait – even better:
Toboganing on the golf course; hot cocoa, fire, pink cheeks
I’m late, but most memorable snow day:
1976, spring duststorm, Bakersfield. School called on account of dirt!
Climbing the stairs, opening the window, sledding off the roof!
I am a native Californian what is a snow day?
Delighted you’re back, 10-word Tuesday! Most above can actually count.
I grew up in Arizona. It would occasionally rain outside.
Grew up in Tucson where it’s sunny 360 days/year.
I only got one in 18 years. Easterners are Pansies.
school numbers? i’ve never heard of such. must be a crazy yankee thing
Child: Blizzard of ‘78, no power, fireplace, quilts, cup-a-soup, HUGE drifts.
Adult: Level 3 Snow Emergency, Office closed, good book, ah, relaxing.
PS — 172 reminds me of a story my Granddad told about his one room school house. Snow clogged the pipe of the Franklin stove, it blew up and coal dust coated everything, including the kids! They got several day off till the stove could be replaced.
Snowed once here. Teacher said we couldn’t go out: we did.