Snow Day!

Oh my but I was bemoaning going back to work today like a spoiled child at the end of Christmas vacation!

Went to work anyway, had a good day, and was ready to get at it tomorrow with the kids! We had inservice today and our principal is a GREAT motivational speaker; he charged me up!

But the lead story on the local news all week has been the "arctic blast" heading our way. Tonight it's going all the way down to about 34. This is not all that uncommon in December and January in Louisiana. The forecast tonight is for "rain in the evening and may mix with freezing rain and sleet by morning."

They've had anchor-chicks standing out by the interstate talking about driving conditions in the cold and snow for days. We don't have any snow. Aren't really expecting anything.

The local news site has an entire page dedicated to how to protect yourself, your plants, and your pets and livestock from the freezing temperatures. There are pages of checklists - food you should stock up on, checkup for your car, and protecting pets, among others.

I mean, you'd think we're in for a southern blizzard of uncommon proportions.

They've already closed school for tomorrow.

Don't get me wrong -- I'll take the snow day! We'll have to make it up in May, but I'll take it. That means Friday I can go to school (in frigid temps), meet my new students for the new semester, line them out, and get going full blast on Monday.

So, tomorrow, another day of blogging (yay!) and I'll put a good pot of beef stew on to simmer all day.

Snow day!




Update: To put things in perspective, this just in from Steve's sister in Iowa:

"A winter poem. i'm sending this right after the weather man said the snow is falling at 1" an hour. i've heard we are getting all the way from 6-9". we are expected to have a high of -1 on friday w/ a low of -19. i don't know what the wind-chill will be."

WINTER Poem

It's winter in Iowa
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At thirty-five below.

Oh, how I love Iowa
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Iowa

I'm frozen to the ground!

Update 1/7/09, 8:21 AM: Current weather? 37 degrees, cloudy, and some light drizzle. Not raining. Not snowing. No ice. But cold is coming! I'm grateful for the day off, and grateful for the advance concern of my school district for everyone's safety. Both Shreveport and Bossier schools are closed as are many private schools, daycare centers, and the public libraries. But I just know those Yankees from up north are rolling on the floor laughing at us right now.

Going to the Dogs

Okay, I'm going to get on my soapbox. It's because of this story on KTBS: "An 11-year-old Shreveport boy was injured today when he intervened in a fight between the family Boxer and their new puppy."

It seems like every other day these people are telling us about some poor dog that has to be put to sleep because it is now dangerous. This is certainly a tragic story. Don't get me wrong, I'm deeply sorry that the child was hurt, that the puppy died, and that the Boxer was euthanized. My gripe with this is with the news station.

If you feel like this is REAL news that you must bring to your viewers (and I would question that), please do not show me the film of the animals. I have a real soft spot for dogs and it breaks my heart to see the boxer being led to his death (NOT pictured on this post). Can't you just report the story without the picture of the dog? Show me your interviews, if you must, but don't show me this family pet about to be killed. It smacks of yellow journalism to me. Yes, I know I can quit watching your station, I don't HAVE to look at it.

I really do hope this child recovers from his horrible physical and emotional ordeal. I also hope KTBS reviews their ethics standards.

(Photo credit: Puppydogweb.com)