You've seen it on the news... Washington DC and the surrounding metro area is virtually paralyzed.
I can remember only one other time in recent memory when the Federal Government shut down due to snow, and that was back in 1996 when I worked for the National Park Service. We had 2 days off, and that was unheard of. I think its going to happen again this week, as we are now under a storm warning (not a watch, which means it could happen, but a warning, which means it will happen). The National Weather Service is predicting another 10-20 inches on top of the 31 that we've already had (at least where I live, west of the city. See my previous blog for some snow pictures - and comments from Vancouver, where there is NO snow.)
The problem is that the sun has been out for 2 days and its melting the top layer of snow, but then it all freezes overnight. So now we have packed snow with ice on top. Great for sledding, as my kids can attest to. Not so much for driving on side streets.
Schools have already been closed for the rest of the week, and of course there is no school next Monday, President's Day. After this week, schools will have had 9 snow days. Luckily, Loudoun County has the equivalent of 15 extra days built into their schedule, so highly unlikely the kids will have to make up any of those days.
Well, even though the non-essential part of the government is shut down, the rest of us have to keep working. As my father used to say, small business people are the backbone of our economy, so we just have to keep plugging along.
I've certainly been busy today - more than I thought I would. I've been scheduling new appointments, and rescheduling others for this week. This forced house arrest has allowed me to focus more on my marketing strategies for the spring. I've also been able to tend to my inventory, which sometimes gets pushed to the end of the priority list. And I've been able to spend some more time here on AR, reading blogs, gathering new ideas, always learning something new.
Oh, yes... and we are indeed preparing for the next onslaught!
Monica ~ Great post and I love your picture. I am homebound and also working on my marketing and reading and catching up on some things I needed to take care of here on Activerain. No more snow please.
Thanks for stoppin by, Monique! I think we're going to have to get out of the house for a little while today before the next storm hits - cabin fever is starting to set in! My poor dog is going crazy, too - she's a chocolate Lab and just wants to be outside running and playing, but the only place for that is in the street, so short walks is all she gets.
Hi Monica - I'm right there with you! I finally got out today for a few hours and did some shopping and browsed the thrift store for some home staging accessories - I love doing that. I like you have taken this time to focus on my marketing strategies and reading blogs to get some new ideas. Thanx for sharing and I love your picture. I live in Woodbridge, VA here is my back yard!
That photo is just amazing, Mannie! And I'm sure it doesn't do justice to what it REALLY looks like - it's hard to capture it in a picture.
Round 2 is just beginning as I write this (4:45pm on Tuesday). We're ready for the next 10 inches! Unbelievable!
Stay warm and stay safe!