A wise person once told me, "Be careful of what you wish for. You just might get it."

All weekend long I was wishing for snow. The weather on the East Coast has been unseasonably warm and we were due for a change. It's not that I like the cold. I just like the seasons. I like variety. Warm sunny days are great. But so are grey days, windy days, cool spring days, fall rainy days, and snowy days. Summer had lasted long enough. I was ready for winter.

Winter is finally here. Saturday was not only cold but windy with wind gusts up to 40 mph on the bay. I cancelled my kayaking plans and rescheduled my day to include a stop at the cabinet manufacturer and a luncheon/team meeting with the Kent Island Canoe Club. It's not that we had a lot of club activities to discuss. It seemed that the team meeting was mostly an opportunity to get the team together and keep everyone motivated to race next summer. We did discuss a few of the upcoming races but mostly it was a social lunch. As I drove back over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge I felt the wind pushing my truck towards the edge. I looked over at the steel cables holding the bridge together and wondered if they would catch a car if it was forced over the edge. The spaces between the cables looked a little too wide so I decided to drive in the center lane just in case.



On Sunday I decided to join a group for hike on Sugarloaf Mountain. I had been on the "Blue Sky" email list for a month or two but hadn't had the opportunity to join one of their hikes. The Blue Sky group is organized by Vitas and Mary whom I met through sea kayaking. I haven't seen the whole email list but I think it's mostly sea kayakers and a few whitewater kayakers who are looking for nonkayaking events during the off season. So I met Vitas, Mary, Sally, Alison and Roxanne at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain. Mary was recovering from an injury on a previous hike. She broke a rib on a fall. So we all agreed to take the easiest route around the mountain and keep the hike short. We took the white trail which meanders around the base of the mountain without a lot of elevation change. We had a short snack at the picnic tables then Vitas, Roxanne and I hiked to the top while Sally, Alison and Mary followed the road back to the parking lot.

When we got back to the cars my wish came true. The cars were covered with a light dusting of fine, dry snow. Mary had brought some treats and a thermos of hot cocoa to celebrate Sally's birthday. So we stood for a while at the picnic tables drinking cocoa and eating cake while the snow fell softly around us.

The drive home could have been worse than it was. The main roads were mostly clear. The challenge was getting down to my house. I live in a valley. I drove around Takoma Park a few times looking for the best way down to the house. The first road I chose was steep and windy. Even with four wheel drive I knew there was a good chance I'd hit one of the cars parked on the side. So I chose to drive down in a rather circuitous route, inching my way down the hills in second gear, careful to steer clear of the cars parked on the side.

When I opened the door to the house my two cats ran outside. Maribel and Annabel had been sleeping as cats do and hadn't noticed the snow. They both love snow. So they played for awhile then scratched at the door to come inside. They must have gone outside about four times to play in the snow, each time returning a little more wet and a little more snow packed.

It's late now and they're fast asleep. The Federal Government has just announced that tomorrow is an "Unscheduled Leave" day. For most people this means that they have the option of coming to work or using personal leave and staying home. For my department that means that we have to work, but we can work at home if we want. I'll be working from home.

Which means that I get to sleep in a little bit later. And I'll get off in time to enjoy the snow.

Let it snow! Let it snow!

-Susanita