April snow

Well, I'm sorry to report that we didn't get the day off from school due to snow. It is snowing here though and coming down fast. Late last night they downgraded the blizzard watch to a blowing snow advisory. Until I moved here, I always assumed that a blizzard was a HUGE snowstorm, with snow accumulations measured in feet. That is usually a consequence of a blizzard, but the defining criteria is the wind/windspeed. Strong wind and snow constitute a blizzard. White out occurs when the wind is blowing the snow so hard you can't see very far in front of you. We had a blizzard last April and for most of the day, we couldn't see the swing-set in our back yard or the houses across the street. The snow was deep, but the drifts were up to my waist! Today we're only expecting 1-3 inches of snow, but the wind is blowing very hard. But not hard enough to be declared a blizzard! So, there's your meterology lesson for the day.

Will was thankful to have school. His class is going on a field trip and he's already missed one this year because he was sick. Sarah was glad to go to school today too. She knew she was having a substitute and she loves this particular sub. I guess I was the only one who was bummed they had to go. I still hope to get one more snow day before the end of the year!

Last night, John and I watched Memoirs of a Geisha. I actually read the book a few weeks ago and loved it. The richness and beauty of the Japanese culture really drew me into the book, and the film was even more spectacular. I was disappointed that the movie wasn't completely true to the book (is it ever?) but they did manage to keep the important storyline elements intact. John liked it too. We're movie lovers...can you tell? We don't have cable, so we tend to watch movies instead. There are lots of nuggets of spiritual truth in Memoirs of a Geisha though. That's one of the reasons we enjoyed it so much!