Snow

What would happen if Houston had 12 inches of snow? Currently, the news forecast in Omaha is for a mere 10-12 inches. I think most things will be cancelled or closed tomorrow and Wednesday. And, I am not so secretly (although I would not tell my children) hoping that the Christmas Cantata is rescheduled.

I remember that we had flurries one time when we lived in Houston, and the driving was simply atrocious. People were basically pulling over to the side of the road and abandoning their cars. I remember also a small contingent that moved to the far right and started driving about 10 miles per hour...Unfortunately, neither of those comments are jokes.

What I most remember about the cold in Houston - is the coats. About this time of year, my fiance (Cheryl who is now my wife) and I attended a religious ceremony at St. Michael's Catholic Church in the Galleria area of Houston. It was a normal Sunday - nothing particularly special about the day or the season (maybe the second week of advent - but there wasn't even a pink candle lighting). I remember walking in wearing a sweater and khaki pants (standard fare for the typical mass at St. Michael's) - right at the buzzer - as the priest was preparing to enter. I looked around and there was a mixed crowd. No jokes. I remember an entire family wearing ski jackets - gloves, hats, boots (although I don't think they were ski boots). They were about one-third of the way back. I also remember full mink coats, hats and gloves by the dozen. The temperature was 45, and I think that it got over 50 in the afternoon. That was the moment that I realized that I was not in Kansas anymore - God forbid the frozen tundra that is Nebraska this week.