Snow Day!

I walked abroad in a snowy day;
I asked the soft snow with me to play;
She played and she melted in all her prime,
And the winter called it a dreadful crime.

William Blake, English poet and artist in "Soft Snow" (1757-1827)

We had snowy days when I was a kid, but never "snow days". I wonder when schools starting closing due to heavy snowfall and when the term became so common that it entered the dictionary? Although appearing in the esteemed Oxford Dictionary, it is recognized as a mainly North American term.

My new boss, who is British, may not know the terminology but thankfully he allows for staff to work from home on snowy days rather than commute through blizzard conditions. I went out to help Dad clear the driveway and sidewalk and I haven't been this covered in snow since I was a kid. The amount of snow that has accumulated is quite extraordinary.  Duly impressive is Environment Canada's accurate forecast and issuance of a weather advisory so that we were prepared for it.

Dad is what is called a "Snow Angel": he clears the snow from the driveways and sidewalks of our elderly neighbours.

And then watches as the city's plows fill in the access . . . again and again and again . . . with good humour. I enjoyed my first "snow day". I'm glad that I wasn't in Tee-Oh and that I wasn't in traffic getting there and returning home. Staying home is the best way to enjoy snowy days.