Snow Day

Did you hear about all the bad weather that hit the east coast last night? Result: Much shoveling and many children home from school, and enjoying the violence that snow always seems to engender in them. There is no sound to this video, but sound is hardly necessary.



Disclaimer: People should not allow their overheated children to play in winter storms without proper attire. Even if the child is only a few feet from his front porch, on which he just jettisoned his coat after a vigorous snowfight, even if he looks tough, like a small lumberjack, even if he is generally impervious to cold and wants to be photographed without his winter coat, proper attire should be required.

Domestic Pleasures

I know I owe you faithful readers a completion of my last post before moving onto another one, but I wanted to quickly record a few thoughts before this moment passes.

Another snow day has been called and, luckily, this one falls on a day off for me. So, no pressure to arrange alternative child care or to go any place: just Kid 1 and Kid 2 and I home alone under lowering skies, the day before Valentine's Day.

I was up too early (4:30 AM!) and started thinking about maybe taking the kids to NYC over the upcoming February break. I happily surfed for hotel deals for a long time before kids emerged from bed - they slept in, but my daughter woke up when I took off my headphones. (I am half deaf and she could hear the tinny music from her room upstairs). Now, well, until two minutes ago when the 6-year-old's attention span was depleted, they were working on their Valentine's day cards for their classmates, still in their pajamas while I cleared up a little of the perpetual clutter that dominates the Last House. Today's clutter includes a recent Ebay purchase of a collection of (tacky) Royal Memoribilia that arrived in a big box yesterday: little plates from the 1950s to the 1970s with pictures of ER and (one plate with a royal family portrait, circa 1965); tea cups, silver jubilee goblets. I have the taste of a 75 year old colonial sometimes. Well, does life get better than this? Maybe, when we make sugar cookies later today. ER herself could not be more privileged.