Walking In the Air

I awoke to the sounds of dueling snow blowers and snow crunching under shovels. My neighbors had shoveled my porch and steps. When I went to see their handiwork, I peered into a dazzling world of white crystal mountains. Turns out the Philadelphia area received almost 24 inches of snow, a foot and a half! I haven't seen that much snow anywhere since my second winter in Wildwood in 2003, when a January storm dumped 22 inches on the Jersey Shore and more in the Philly area.

I made Apples and Cinnamon Pancakes for breakfast, then called Mom as the WOGL Brunch With the Beatles' big Christmas show ran. Mom seemed to be in a really good mood, despite all the shopping she had to do. She's works full-time as a cashier at Michael's in Rio Grande and apparently hasn't had the time to do much of anything, including shop. She said the Jersey Shore area got some snow, but also some sleet that added a layer of ice as well. She mentioned she was going to use her day off to do some shopping in Cape May and was thrilled when I told her the Eagles-49ers game had been bumped to 4:15, thanks to the weather. She could now fit in her errands without rushing.

She also mentioned that, unlike the Acme, Michael's closed early yesterday evening when the weather got bad. She drove home at 25 miles an hour and found herself happily appreciating all the gorgeous light displays on Route 45.

I managed to catch a ride to work with my neighbors, who had to run some errands in Audubon anyway. Work was busier than yesterday, especially as the day went on and more roads were cleared, but thankfully not nearly as bad as Friday.

Once again, I walked home...and this time, it may have been a mistake. The snow drifts on the Black Horse Pike had been somewhat manageable last night, but this time, they were past my knees. I could barely move. I cursed and pushed and shoved myself on the thickly covered sidewalk past the Nicholson Road-Black Horse Pike turnoff, then got on the street and stayed there. I lost my favorite hat and soaked my boots clean through on that slog. The streets weren't much better. Kendall Boulevard was nothing but slush, and Manor Avenue was nothing but ice.

Needless to say, as nice as my walks were yesterday, I don't think I'll be able to repeat them. I am going to need rides tomorrow and on Wednesday.

When I got in, I grabbed my birthday present for my 4-year-old cousin Faith and hiked over to Uncle Ken and Dad's house. As it turned out, the path between the train tracks and Hillcrest Avenue were snow-covered, but more navigable than the sidewalks...and actually more than they normally are. The snow covered the thorny branches, thick vines, and the remains of the brush that was cut down a few weeks ago.

There was a full house for the Eagles-49ers game when I got in. In addition to Dad, Jodie, Uncle Ken, and Uncle Ken's girlfriend Dolores, we had Uncle Ken's daughter Samantha, her husband David, their children Faith, Ethan (12) and Matt (10), Dolores' grandkids Mercedes (8) and Blake (6), and a couple of random friends of Uncle Ken's. Uncle Ken made us hot ham and cheese sandwiches during half-time. I gave Faith two My Little Ponies that I found at a yard sale last summer. They're 2007 recreations of the original 1983 Ponies that were in mint condition. I don't really collect Ponies, but Samantha told me Faith loves them. She absolutely adored them. She actually got me to play with her and the Ponies for a little while.

The other four kids were funny, too. When the others finally got in from sledding down the hill alongside Uncle Ken's house, they ended up having a pillow fight in the den. They were absolutely hysterical, especially since poor Matt had to wrap a blanket around him, as his snow-covered pants were in the dryer. They really teased him about that.

After they'd all had enough of the pillows, the boys went outside on the porch and broke off icicles to eat. There were some really big ones on the roof of the porch. Blake ate one that was at least as long as his arm! When the other kids went over to the kitchen for dessert, Blake and I had a nice chat about the snow and what he got for Christmas. His family exchanges gifts at a big party the Saturday before Christmas. I forget everything he told me, but I know I heard a basketball in there.

(Uncle Ken got the best present of all, though, besides snow. I forget how she said she did it, but Dolores managed to buy him two real seats from the on-the-verge-of-demolition Spectrum Stadium. I think he said they were his season ticket seats for years.)


Oh, and the Eagles kicked the 49ers rear ends, 27-13 in a great game...and kicked their way into the playoffs as well.

While the roads in Oaklyn were mostly plowed, according to customers at work and several family members, the other localities haven't been quite as on the ball. Apparently, Cuthbert Road in Westmont and Haddon Avenue in Collingswood are still spotty in places. (Cuthbert Road was like that after that fairly big snow storm in March, too.) I was going to try to do all of my usual library volunteering and make it to Yogawood this week, but I think I'll just cut it down to the Oaklyn Library and the bank tomorrow. The weather is supposed to stay cold for a while, which means the snow and ice aren't going anywhere and the roads likely won't get much clearer.