Snow Day!

Yes, I know it's August. No, it isn't snowing.

Yesterday I woke up to the sound of the telephone at 7:15 in the morning. I usually work at 8, but was filling in for someone and was going to work the 10-6 shift. I appreciate the late start, but not so much the staying til the end part. Although when I was younger I loved that shift. I closed three nights a week for most of my first ten year stint at the daycare. So back to the phone call. "We're putting you on stand-by. There's no power at the daycare. It has been out since 2am, and they don't know when it will be back on."

What? No work? Could it be possible? This is Monday right? This just does not happen. Even when the north wind blows and schools close, this almost never happens. It has to be a blizzard of major proportions to cause a snow day at the daycare!

I had my alarm set for 9am, although I had already been up at 6:30 when Leon left for work and the animals immediately demanded breakfast. (Why can't they ever ask him?) This was my sleep in Monday, so of course, like any child who is anticipating school closing, I couldn't go back to sleep. I lie awake giddy, dreaming of the possibilities!

At some point I dozed off, then the alarm woke me at nine. Hmmm..... no one has called back yet. Could it be? I called the daycare, no answer. I called a co-worker. No firm close yet, still waiting. Waiting for what? The parents had all been called, no one could even go in the building. Chances are they had to either stay home or find other care for the kids. Rats. Evil.

So I got dressed, ate, and watched a little of the Today Show. Kathy Lee gets more irritating every time I see her. I don't know how her co-anchor refrains from choking the life out of her. Now it's 10 minutes til my shift starts. I call my co-worker again, and she calls the boss. The ticks of the minute hand on the clock are loud in my head. It feels just like early winter mornings as a kid. Staring into the cool darkness, hearing the wind howling through the eaves while you listen to the clock radio as the dj runs down the list of local school closings.

The phone rings. YES!! No daycare today! Immediately the work shirt comes off, the tank top goes on, I grab my keys and head for the car. A good friend just happens to be visiting for a few days and there is girl talk, coffee, and banana bread waiting for me on Lisa's patio! Unfortunately I forgot to put on my sunscreen. :( I have quite a burn on my shoulders and upper arms, even though I was sitting under the umbrella. I don't recall THAT ever happening on a snow day before!