Unexpectedly closed
Trepidation with a pinch of anticipation; my reaction to a forecast of freezing rain. After that debacle in the western portion of the province some years back, the idea of ice on vertical surfaces is not something I take lightly. Instead, I sleep lightly, ready to jump from my bed to do battle. Or something. How do you defend your world against something as heavy of consequence.
So, with a degree of relief (and a temperature above the freezing point), this morning started out well. The slope leading down to the bus stop was no worse than usual, traction wise, and I know better than to try sidewalks that shine. There seemed to be fewer people than usual, and our trip up the hill to the centre of town was stop free. Lots of water running; fewer people. The same kids as any other morning on my second bus. Ordinary.
Until I arrived at the office, with an empty parking lot. Inside, two senior administrators. That’s it, that’s all. We were closed due to inclement weather. Nothing to do but cross the road like a chicken and wait for the next bus going east. For the record, my round trip took three hours and ten minutes; not a record, but hardly necessary in a world where you can notify your employees that things are derailed. Oddly, no other school board on this side of the morning had taken the panic pill…
As part of my penance, I spent time cleaning crunge out of a set of drawers. Does anyone ever throw away that silly plastic cap on the end of a safety razor, or are we storing them up in the hope that science will discover a second round purpose? And my first three episodes of American Idol auditions received the back-to-back and loud treatment, just because I could.
