Snow Day Chores

Blackout during March 21 snow storm (photo: Eileen McCafferty)

By Eileen McCafferty

My phone dinged at precisely 8:15 p.m. that Tuesday night in late March as an alert from Ramapo College. It read “RCNJ Alert Me Now 3/20/2018. Due to inclement weather Ramapo College is closed tomorrow Wednesday, March 21, 2018.”

The inner child inside me expressed joy in the idea of a snow day, but the adult in me already knew that tomorrow was going to be a rough storm and I was not ready to lose power...but Mother Nature had other plans.

The next morning was spent doing homework, to keep up with classes that were cancelled, and catching up on laundry, as well as driveway maintenance and other chores. Every few hours, the journey was made from my front door to the unplowed streets on my quiet Rockland County neighborhood street to walk Jack, the ‘anti-snow/anti-rain, schnauzer-poodle, love of my life’ dog. Within three minutes of being outside and returning to the warmth of my entrance way, Jack’s dark gray fur would be heavily dusted with snow, and once inside it was easily seen that the snow was melting off his face. While he hates the snow, he was so well trained to not relieve himself in the house that he makes a scene at the door when it’s time to go. 

After returning Jack to the comfort of the house, my mother and I would grab shovels to remove the newly accumulated snow from the driveway steps and windshields of our cars. Runny noses, cold, tired hands, and wet socks are all the products of shoveling driveways, but in order to avoid removing all this snow at once, we had to take care of it every few hours. 

Sitting in the bay-window in the front of the house is a curious cat who goes by the name of Poot; she was staring outside, wishing to pounce on these tiny white specs falling from the sky. Poot was so determined to get to these specs that opening and closing doors to the outside world became a game of ‘push and run’. She sits at your feet as you open the door, and you must gently push her back with your leg while making a run outside. As much as she wants to attack the snow, I am fairly certain if I let this house cat outside, she would lose her mind and run inside.

Later in the afternoon, the snow accumulation became so intense that sturdy tree branches in our back yard began to bend with pressure. The house jittered as the harsh winds hit the sides and occasionally the power would hint at flickering off. Everything seemed to be a normal day of snow fall…until a branch crashed down from a neighbor’s yard onto the connecting powerlines that provide a block and half with power. 

The time was 11:15 p.m., the house was still warm, but frighteningly dark. Looking out the bay windows onto the street I’ve lived on since I was born, it was almost like looking at a painting. It was so still, so dark, and so serene. We were left without power for over twenty-four hours. The night consisted of three layers of clothing, two blankets and a curled-up cat on top of me to share warmth. 

Out of all the snow day struggles, being cold with no relief from it is the worst part. Snow days always make my inner kid excited, but I have learned the real struggles that come from snow days. I feel better prepared for heavy accumulations but I also hope that we are done with snow days for this year.