Snowed In

Last Wednesday's evening rush hour scene was a freakish disaster due to snow melting under tires, then refreezing. The result? Our streets became bumper car pavilions from H Street to Springfield. This weekend, however, we had plenty of notice to hunker down as our lives are brought to an involuntary standstill, and Mother Nature reminds us exactly who is in charge.

But these memorable snow events don't come along very often. Some time in the early 1960s, my uncle bought a house near Swain's Lock out River Road from either Chet Huntley or David Brinkley. The snow that year was so deep, it scared that correspondent back to town.

But then there were years and years when we scarcely got a snow day, and when I was in school, I LIVED for those rare and wonderful days off. Even scarcer was a day off from college, but in February 1979 we got hit hard again. My house mate and ace photographer Alan Kresse went out with his camera as soon as it stopped snowing and captured a little known historic event in College Park - The Student Takeover of Route One:

And then, of course, came Snowmageddon. Those back to back storms gave me the excuse to make buckwheat pancakes for dinner a la Almanzo Wilder in The Long Winter.

This time it looks like an awful lot of digging is in store, and school may or may not be open on Monday, but don't forget people - we have skills: hot milk and chocolate, marshmallows, Irish coffee, fire places. And who thought up indoor heat? That was a good one.