snow daze

The Diary of a Snow Day in Louisiana

First of all, if there is even the slightest chance of snow, call everyone you know and they will call everyone they know and schools will be cancelled, businesses will be closed, roads will be shut down, and everyone will be advised to stay home.  Keep in mind this will all occur BEFORE the first little fluffy white flake appears.  Yes...before!  Snow in Louisiana is almost as big of a celebration as Mardi Gras.  And this Yankee girl thinks it's hilarious!  Schools were closed in my hometown only if snow drifts were higher than your car and you had to shovel your way out of your house.  

I will admit, though, it is fun to see snow in this cajun country.  My kids were ecstatic (never mind Boston's initial expression in the picture above)!  It snowed for about two and half hours and although the snow melted once it reached the ground, the biggest, fluffiest flakes swirled around us and made us feel like it really was winter.   We threw soggy "slush"balls at each other and caught snowflakes on our tongues.  We stomped around in our rain boots and eskimo hats.  And then it stopped as suddenly as it came.  The stubborn southern sun bumped the snow clouds out of the way and it looked as though it had never happened.  Just another snow day!  (And only one of my children would stand still enough for pictures).  But oh, how his expressions melt me.  

This fleeting winter snow reminded me of the first snow in 60 years that southern Louisiana was blanketed by in December of last year.  It snowed several inches and Thaddeus had a blast!  His daddy pulled him around the neighborhood on a makeshift winter sled, they made snowmen and had snowball wars.  He wore a scarf and gloves for the first time.  It was pure joy.

So, what do you do after it snows in Louisiana?  You peel off your jacket and your gloves, eat a hot bowl of gumbo, and relax....because everything is closed, after all.