SNOW!

This morning when I woke up, I went to work with just a normal coat and my favorite faux-Ugg boots to keep my toesies warm in my old, rusty office. The sun was shining and there were just a few clouds in the sky.

By nine, it was snowing. SNOWING! In December! In New Mexico!

As I'm sure you've read, we had a crazy winter storm earlier this year in February. The temperature dropped below 0 degrees and we, of the 100 degree summers and the 70 degree Christmases, had no idea how to handle it. So we shut down.

It's too early to tell, but I think we might be heading in the same direction this time around. Since it would be stupid for our schools and our city to invest in alllll of the cold weather gear that most cold states require for whole months of this weather just for two instances a year (such as snow tires, chains, backup generators, a whole fleet of plows/salt trucks), I have a feeling we have a snow day coming at us.

We got the official release email around 1:00, and immediately got ready to leave. I had a few things I thought about doing before I left, but I decided to leave it for tomorrow and head home over the pass that goes through the mountains. THANK GOD I DID.

I've worked at my job for almost three years now. In that time, I've gone through winter storms galore. I've driven through ice and snow and low visibility. But I've NEVER driven through anything like today.

The roads were covered with snow, so only one lane was driveable. It's a steep uphill climb to the mountain pass, then a steep downhill slope. People were swerving all over the place. I drove less than ten miles an hour. And with the way the road is, one small slip can lead to big potential injuries, like death from flying over the side of a mountain.

Terrifying, right?

Then I got stuck behind the WORST driver in Las Cruces who kept doing a serpentine swerve ON PURPOSE... and couldn't get his tires to get traction (weird, with all the swerving, right?), so he was barely moving. I, of course, was trying to keep a steady path without having to start and stop, but this guy was driving me insane. Everyone was drifting because this guy blocked the whole road with his stupid driving. It was so icy and so awful, but I think the trucks got there just as I was going through, so I hope everyone else got through it okay!

But after a Dos Equis and a snuggle with Boyfriend and Shadow, I'm feeling much less trembly. My arms are a little sore from clutching my steering wheel so tight and my knees are a little trembly from being scared, but I'm alive and okay and so is my car! I think I was most scared because at the top of the mountain, if I drifted and got stuck in a snow bank, there is no way that somebody could come rescue me. I would be stuck until someone up there helped.

But I'm here and my house is nice and warm and the snow is so pretty outside. Plus I already got word that I get a three hour delay at work tomorrow, so I get to sleep in!

I'm going to make green chile chicken noodle soup tonight for Boyfriend and Thomas and me and other than that, my plans are to just STAY PUT. The roads in town weren't bad, but I've had enough of the car for today! It took me 1.5 hours to get home when it normally takes half an hour. Whew.

Normally, this is the view of the Organ Mountains from just a few miles away... today, it was just snow flurries!

Hope that wherever you are, you stay safe and warm tonight!