After the Snow…

The Snow Dance is one thing and the immediate sense of joy when you actually see the name of your school on TV or if you ‘re lucky enough to receive a phone call.  But then comes the inevitable let down if you actually see a considerable amount of snow…the shoveling.  You have to shovel, to get out, to get the dogs to tinkle and if the temperature has dropped to below zero it’s not only a pain but painful.  It is amazing how when the temperature drops, the puppies cannot take two steps without immediately falling over.  I feel like a member of a search and rescue team.  I stand ready to run, scoop, and throw in the door.  In the case of Alexander that might cause a pull or sprain but you do what you have to do for the babies.  So this morning we have shoveled trails all over the yard to tinkle spots, to the cars, to the mailbox, to the trough for the animals.  Lots of shoveling. Hopefully it all melts soon.

The Snow Dance

It is simply amazing how nine inches of snow, the last count in my backyard, can just sneak up on you and smack you on the rear.  I got out of bed this morning with the local meteorologists predicting nothing more than a dusting, an inch at most.  Thank goodness I am a weather junkie who constantly monitors the weather forums.  The weather geeks, as I like to call them, were all calling for 6-8 inches today.  Because of the huge discrepancy between their forecast and the that of the local mets, I thought for sure we would have an inch or two at most.  I guess that is why I just spent a half hour using a push broom to plow a path for Penny to do her business.  She bounded out the back door and suddenly found herself in over her head, literally.  I really don’t want her to lose the little twinkle in her eye that she gets from prancing about in the snow so I brushed off most of the back yard and for no reason.  She belly crawled under the deck and did her business in private.  Oddly enough Alexander seemed to take a certain pleasure in walking proudly, slightly above the snowline, suddenly becoming Balto, ready to rescue the whole town.  He’s such a drama king.  

So my cartoon today comes from the realization that several hundred kids are in fact doing the snow dance.  I have heard of so many different versions of the dance. I also know that there isn’t a teacher among us who has not done the dance in some form or another.  When you are two days over your five days there is a moment of hesitation though.  I mean hey, now we are moving into summer territory.  It is a fine line to walk and I think we are all ready to get on with the year.  I certainly do not want to have to decorate my room for Independence Day.

So Much Snow…

So we had a monster of a storm last week.  No one really expected to be snowed in for a few days, least of all my two dogs.  Penny, the small black poodle/terrier mix, is very scrappy.  Snow is more of a challenge for her.  She loves it.  She runs through it with all her heart.  Bobbing, weaving, and finally flying with sparkly flakes cascading behind her. She loves the bling.  Alexander on the other hand, a strapping 75 lb shepherd, is petrified of getting his wittle feet cold.  He usually makes it down the stairs of the deck to collapse in the snow with his feet in the air in a helpless stance of “come get me”.  Meanwhile, Penny is running circles around him throwing snow on him and I swear, laughing.  After the snow and ice had passed, I let them out and Penny proceeded to celebrate the winter day.  Alexander went around the corner in an attempt to fool me that he was going down into the yard.  I went about my business in the kitchen and turned around to see him looking in the back door, going to the bathroom right on the deck.  A couple of hours later he went out again, walked over to it, smelled it, and had the nerve to look like “Ohhhhhh…..who would do such a thing?!?”

And So It Begins…Again

And so it begins again.  You get a little time on your hands and suddenly the blog gets updated, the cafepress store gets updated….all because of a little snowstorm.  Well, not so little.  It started Monday night:  snow, ice, ice, rain, ice, and then A LOT of snow again.  Luckily we kept our electricity but we are now out of school for the rest of the week and I have a lot of time on my hands.  A first in quite a while, obviously if you look at the date of my last post.  My goal is to keep it updated more often.  I would love to have new cartoons … I will certainly give it a try.  What’s happened since the last post?  A broken leg, a kitchen remodel, and several other events have left me with a lot more material for cartoons, that’s for sure.  So….stay tuned!

Weather

 

If you haven’t noticed yet, I am a wee bit of a weather geek.  The boards (also known as the forums where other geeks sit around and talk about models and jet streams and forecasts..) are abuzz right now with the hope of a weekend snowstorm.  It’s a southern storm, just the kind the Ohio Valley likes to see.  And with hurricane Olga in the mix who knows whats up.  So for those who follow weather, it’s a lot like Christmas Eve.  Each time a new model comes out the boards light up and everyone starts chattering like hens.  It’s a great way to spend the day.

Another Chance of Snow

 

We are once again looking at snow coming into the region.  Wednesday was a total bust…never bet on a sure thing.  Tomorrow would be nice…a three day weekend, chance to do some extra Christmas shopping, grade the mile high stack of papers I have collected over the week, not to mention the test from a couple of weeks ago.  So everyone put on your PJ’s and let the Snow Dance begin.

The Possibility of a Snow Day

This is a rerun of a previous Snow Day comic. Well here we are, mere hours away from the first accumulating snowfall of the year. In teacher language, it’s Christmas Eve. The sugar plums are dancing in our heads and dreams of the phone ringing in the morning are all we are thinking about. Personally, I am fondly remembering a snow in ‘ 96, back in the day. When a small little clipper was headed our way. That was the beginning of week off of school. It was beautiful. The snow kept falling. It is quite early for snowfall for us so this year should be full of backwards pajamas, flushing toilets, and ringing telephones. For those of you unschooled, the latter is a snowdance. May the dancing begin!

It’s Been A Long Time….

Okay, it’s been a long time.  Since my last cartoon was Easter, and the Holiday Season is now upon us, I would say it’s been awhile.  My good friend Joy got me thinking about writing and drawing this again so here I am.  I am not sure when the cartoons will start but I am guessing sometime soon.  What with all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, the impending snows and of course, it is the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR.  So as of today, I have started my interpretation of life through cartoons again.  Meanwhile I will post one of my favorite holiday comics  from last year.

Another Delay…

The strangest thing happened this morning. It was froggy out. That would be freezing fog. I realized this when, at 4:30 AM, I took the dogs out and the steps I cleaned off last night were a slick sheet of ice. The most unsettling feeling is sliding, down stairs, and not knowing when you are going to come to a stop. Imagine that sensation as a little black dog with a big human slipping and sliding over top of you. Luckily Penny is low to the ground and good at scrambling. Fortunately, we had a delay this morning due to all this frog outside. Always better to be safe. However, I do believe there are parents that have the feelings illustrated in my comic this morning. Seven unexpected days home can be a little disconcerting for some parents. When you know a break is coming that’s one thing. You have the chance to prepare and plan but when you have seven unplanned days thrust upon you, I imagine that the situation could be a little stressful.

Back to Work!!

What a wild and crazy seven days it has been! Talk about an impromptu spring break…I mean winter break. Well the chill has finally broken. Yesterday we were at 6 degrees at this time and today we are at 46 degrees. What a difference a day makes! Of course this means that the foot of snow we have is quickly melting and also getting very slippery. This would explain the wonderful and incredible graceful ballet that I put on for the dogs this morning as I walked down the deck to accompany them on their morning potty.
My cartoon today is still a little bit of left over annoyance with the local weather guys/gals. Now they all have these four minute commercials touting their success with the big storm we had last week. Give me a break.