Yesterday, UMass closed its campus at noon, because there was snow in the forecast. Turns out the forecast was correct–we got nearly a foot of snow–but it’s not at all clear that the conditions warranted shutting the campus down and inconveniencing all the people that were supposed to have exams later in the day. There was no wind, and it wasn’t cold. In fact, looking outside brought to mind the song everyone likes to hear while they’re shopping: I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…. People here don’t know how to cope with snow and sleet, and I don’t really know why. Snow is certainly not unusual for the New England states. People here should know how to drive in snow, but they don’t. My bus-ride yesterday took me 2 hours; I could have walked from UMass to Northampton in that time. A couple inches of snow, and everything grinds to a standstill. Sigh!
L is also working through his first real cold. He has a runny nose, a hoarse voice, and sometimes feels slightly feverish. But through it all, he has been relatively cheerful; he’s a trooper. I guess, now that he’s no longer getting anti-bodies from his mother’s milk, he’s more susceptible to various bugs. Hopefully he gets over it–and doesn’t pass it on to Pam and me–before we hit the road to Manitoba next week.