Snowpocalypse.

I grew up in Pennsylvania where during the winter it snowed. Not only that but it snowed on back country roads and the schools didn’t shut down for a mere couple of inches. But here in northern Virginia, the massive traffic, lack of resources, and crazy people make for a dangerous mix when snow comes. There’s always a panic—which I think comes from the mind-set of the type of people who live here. It’s fast-paced, high-drama, and with all the politicians, things tend to be exaggerated in general.

So with two storms topping a couple feet each, we are talking about snowpocalypse. Snowmegeddin. The blizzard of 2010. I don’t know what they’re going to call the storms coming later this week, but we’re becoming pros at this.

All this snow brings about a change in our routines. Some good and some not so good. My back is killing me but the exercise is good. Grendel and his buddies love to play in it. So do the kids and my neighbors John and Bob, and well okay, me, too. I went over to the guys’ houses this weekend to ask their wives if they could come out and play. Bob ended up with a big bruise on his arm from snowboarding and John got the dogs riled up.

I wanted to build a big, creative snowman but my muscles were aching and so the snow artist in me settled for a smaller one with some of the items lying about in my house. I love, love, love, love snow. It’s beautiful. You can play in it. When it’s falling it feels so peaceful. So I don’t even mind the crap that comes along with it.

These big snows have a way of forcing us outside where we end up talking to neighbors. During shoveling breaks we catch up, joke, and complain about the snowplow guy who just pushed five feet of snow in front of our cars and the mailbox. Then we make bets on how fast it will take “certain neighbors” to steal our spots. We pull together and take care of each other. I actually got to fulfill a cliché by asking my neighbor for some sugar. It wasn’t a cup and it was brown sugar, but still. And my other neighbor gave me some brownie mix and cookies. If you’re going to be stuck with people for a few days, it’s good to have nice neighbors who like to have fun. And who help you shovel.

Happy snow day!