How Southerners Play in the Snow

Not only was today my mother's birthday, but it was the second time of my life where I've been let out of school because of snow! So I went with my best buddy/little brother Sam to enjoy the magical fluffy whiteness that got me out of a Chemistry exam.

However, we were a little confused. We live in a place where there are a few good hills and slopes, but how were we supposed to sled? Growing up in Mississippi and South Carolina, we've never owned a sled because we've never had a reason to own a sled.  So we had to get creative...

I woke up and my sweet cat (read: terrorist) alerted me to this amazing view.

My mom (who turned 39 today, don't ya know) made us warm ham and biscuits (a classic Southern breakfast, in case you're not from around these parts) before we all went outside. Yes, even the tiny Chihuahua (read: vacuum cleaner).

 Due to the absence of a good and proper sled, we had to think of a replacement. Cardboard boxes would get wet and fall apart, we didn't have an available garbage can, and why ruin a $30 sleeping bag?  So we went to the kitchen and found a pizza pan.  Here, my partner in crime models the new sled.

I let him test-drive the pizza pan, just in case it turned out to be a disaster...

  And it was. In fact, Sam admitted that he will be lucky if he has children. You see his rather manly scowl and the buried pizza pan.

 But a good Southern boy never gives up. He just improvises...and uses his own back as a sled. It worked great for Sam, but not so much for me. His success could be blamed on the fact that he weighs at least thirty pounds more than me.

 No real use for the pizza pan any more, so he tried to crack the ice on the streets. And pretty much failed.

 We ended up finding a hill that I enjoyed greatly, which is why there are no pictures of it. We took turns rolling and sliding down the hill, and then used our boots to ice-skate in the street. Yeah, we've never owned ice skates, either. However, after burning all of those delicious ham-and-biscuit calories, we had to find a more relaxing way to enjoy the snow. This is Sam's "light bulb just went off above his head" face.

And this is the great idea.

 However, it did not stick, no matter how hard he tried. We were quite disappointed and my boots were thoroughly soaked through, so we decided to go inside, don our fuzzy pajamas, and drink hot chocolate while watching "Ghosts of Mississippi" on HBO. Entirely coincidental movie, but it was good enough that my next post should be my lamentations on the "ghosts."


I think you can tell by my face that it was a wonderful day! Cold, but very serendipitous.

And in case you haven't met her...this is my baby, Prudence. She enjoyed the snow just as much as we did, and Sam even made a snow fort by hiding in the snow-covered Prudence. Hey, cut us some slack: we Southerners don't know anything about making snow forts!

 And the day was made even better by this happy little email...

 So yes, in case you were wondering, this Southern belle LOVES snow days! The only thing that could make today better would be if I received a letter from Sarah Palin!