Oklahoma weather is crazy. There, I said it. Now, don't get me wrong. There are a ton of things to love about this state that I call home. We've got the most beautiful sunsets in the world. Okay, I might be just a tad bit biased. But, seriously, our skies are gorgeous. And, the people here are the epitome of friendly. I grew up in a rural, small-ish suburb of Tulsa where waving at every passing car is an expectation. Now, I'm living in a true small town with population 2,909. It's the type of place where your neighbor shows up at your school to offer you a couch. (I declined the offer. Apparently, someone had told him that I didn't have enough furniture. That's probably because I moved in over the span of a week, just a few pieces of furniture at a time. Don't worry. My living room is nicely outfitted.) This is the same neighbor who stops by every six months or so to remind you where the closest storm cellars are. This past Friday, he stopped me while I was checking my mailbox to tell me that our local bank had been bought out by another bank. I needn't worry, though, because the employees would stay the same. The name would be the only thing that would change. And, they would soon be issuing us new debit cards and checks. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I actually banked with the bank that had bought out our local bank so none of this would affect me.
Yeah, there are some downsides to Oklahoma. Tornadoes are a major one. Drumright has been hit twice by tornadoes, once in the 50's and once in the 70's. They're a way of life here. We've made them our school mascot. At times, it seems a bit disrespectful. We yell, "Go Tornadoes!" at sporting events. Maybe it's not disrespectful. Maybe it's more of a homage to the fact that this town sticks together and rebuilds in the face of adversity. Thankfully, I've never needed to seek out shelter in one on of my neighbors' storm cellars since moving here. But, I have seen this town come together and rally when wildfires forced a city-wide evacuation. I witnessed families helping other families rebuild. Money, possessions, homes, hope. They were all shared.
Now that I've gone off on a sentimental tangent, let's get back to the present. For the past couple of weeks, the weather has alternated between divine and downright chilly. One day, it's warm enough to go out for a run. The next day, I'm wishing for my parka. Saturday, my sister called me to remind me that a snowstorm was headed in. And, like all Oklahomans do, I should probably go to the store to stock up on milk and bread. The weather was actually pretty nice. I didn't even wear a jacket to the store. I stocked up on some essentials. Milk. Tortilla Chips. Cheerios. That's what you'd stock up on too, right?
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| My Backyard |
The snow came Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon, it snowed and sleeted and thundered all at the same time. Thunder Sleet. That's what they called it. All, I know is that it was a weird sensation. Sunday afternoon, I got the call that school would be cancelled Monday. That would be Snow Day #5. It was a good thing, too. You couldn't see the road in front of my house. On top of that, it felt like it was fifteen below zero. What did I do with my snow day? I read. I baked some cookies. I read some more. I stared out the window at the tracks filling my yard. That was a mistake. The snow was so bright that it made my eyes hurt.
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| Snow! |
Yesterday was Snow Day #6. I read. I baked more cookies. I napped. I read some more. I browsed math teacher blogs. By the afternoon, the snow had finally melted enough to see pavement!
As much as I've enjoyed this unexpected time off to read and relax, I'm ready to be back at school. I've got too much to do in the next couple of weeks. Last year, we only had one snow day. So, having 6+ this year has been quite an adjustment.
Since this post is already a random hodgepodge, here are two other pictures I took last week.
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| "Vandalism" :) |
Last week, the school put down some type of fertilizer on the grass in front of the building. You know, the type that turns the grass an artificial green color. One day before school, one of my students came rushing up to me. "Ms. Hagan! Did you see the vandalism outside the school?!? Somebody spray painted the grass!" I hadn't noticed any vandalism when I had came in the front doors that morning, but I walked to the front doors to have a look. "Why would someone spray paint the grass green? That doesn't make any sense!" I had to stifle back a laugh. That's not vandalism, and it's not spray paint. It's fertilizer. "Why would they make the fertilizer look like green spray paint?" Well, they do that so they can see where they've sprayed the fertilizer. This seemed to satisfy my student's curiosity. I'm not sure I will ever look at this artificial green application of fertilizer quite the same after this conversation!
And, a short rant. Why do students feel compelled to rescue cardboard boxes that are going to be thrown away and store them in my classroom?!? I don't have enough room in my classroom for all the stuff I have in there right now. Yet, the cardboard boxes keep showing up. And, I keep sending them back out. Unless, of course, I can come up with a math project to use this box for...