Sunrise on a snow day.

The trees all sag under the load. Local news reports tell of many downed trees; through the morning, I hear chainsaws in the not-so-distant distance: the city already clearing up last night’s mess.

There’s ice and snow on the early blossoms

and those that chose not to rush the season.

The Girl’s swing really stands out on the blue-white snow.

The snow certainly has confused the animals. Our cat is fascinated and annoyed with the snow. She had it easy, though: she didn’t have to look for food. Do squirrels in warm climates horde? Are they as unprepared as the locals (like the one who found a novel snow scraper).

Our neighbors made a snow individual last night. Today, it’s obvious that a snow Dolly Parton would be more descriptive. They’re young, our neighbors.

It’s difficult not to look up.

Looking up all the time would be a mistake, though, because the roads are covered with ice in the early morning.

Black ice, they call it. It’ll be gone before lunch, turned to a slushy mess. Yet that probably means it will re-freeze overnight and we’ll have another day off tomorrow. Two of three built-in snow days gone.

The trees in the backyard made it through the night. It must have been paranoia on my part. After all, how often do trees come down and damage homes? How often does it really happen? Well, truth be told, we have friends in Asheville who had the corner of their house crushed by a large limb from an oak, poplar, or some such tree.

The Girl is excited, running about, looking out the windows. Sadly, it’s too slushy to take her out. She’s still sick, and without any decent shows or water-resistant clothes, she’d be soaked in minutes.

Update

From the Greenville Times:

Greenville County Schools’ offices and schools will be closed Tuesday, the second consecutive day since a snow storm walloped the Upstate, said spokesman Oby Lyles.

Eight schools throughout the county don’t have power and school officials don’t know when it will come back on, he said. Roads are icy and some secondary roads remain blocked, Lyles said. (Source)

And so tomorrow, more fun with the Girl.