The Fog Has Lifted

      Sunday afternoon:

The fog rolled in.

5:00 a.m. Monday: a phone call from Sweet Teen's school saying school would be delayed two hours.
She finished finals last week, and last Friday was my last school day before Christmas break, so other than our sleep-in morning being disturbed, it was okay.

 At 7:45 the local district cancelled school (that meant another phone call from them, but we were settling in by then.

Fortunately, I recognized that it would be a good idea to keep the snow shoveled.  I set the timer for one hour--and lost track of how many times I went outside.  Several times more frequently than once an hour, sometimes less.  I was so grateful that I didn't have to go somewhere.
Back in the 60's, my mom was in the hospital 20 miles from home, and my dad fell while working with some of the livestock--and the ambulance had a hard time reaching him because the driveway and barnyard hadn't yet been plowed.

With all the snow shifting, I didn't get to any sewing, but we did enjoy our mantle brightened by a gift from my assistant, Susan.  She purchased a glass block from one of the big box building centers, drilled a hole in the back, and decorated it with a ribbon.  She felt bad because she'd been in an accident and hadn't had time to go purchase a string of 50 lights.  I already had a string of 100 lights but she said that would be too many.  So I stuffed 50 inside and strung the rest out along the mantle.  Then I didn't like that effect so I took them all out again, and we just piled them behind the glass block.  Every bit as lovely!
Yesterday a little after 3 o'clock, I-40 was closed from uptown Albuquerque to Amarillo.  According to the state roads website, it's still closed.  However, since it's only a little over a mile away, we can hear the traffic when the clouds or fog holds the sound down.  Sounds like it's open now.  Here's what things looked like a few minutes ago--the fog is lifting.

The snowplow hasn't ventured down our street yet, but when it does, we should be able to make it to the post office and grocery store.  There's already a pot of beef vegetable soup on the stove.  Maybe I'll get to some sewing today.

I am so very, very grateful to be safe in a warm house with all that we need--and for the freedom to enjoy the beauty this storm brought.

Update:  The fog lifted only briefly and then returned.  The City snowplow arrived and did a fantastic job, even making sure that everyone would be able to get out of their driveways.  (I kind of hope it won't be necessary, because under all those inches of snow is at least an inch of ice!  It will not get warm enough to melt that today! Probably won't even make it up to 30-degrees-F.)