A Snow Day Would Be Nice

Snow Chant
r. baumgartner


North, South, East, West
Snow's the stuff we love the best.
Bring it fast, cold and white
And PLEASE...bring a LOT...
Tonight!!!

Special Notes:
Written in 1990 by Richard Baumgartner, then a second grade teacher at Cub Run Elementary School in Fairfax County, Virginia, this snow chant has been proven to be 100% effective at creating snow (when conditions are close to being snow-producing). Former Cub Run second graders (who are now graduates of Chantilly or Centreville High Schools) performed this chant correctly but without supervision and were largely responsible for the record-setting snows of 1995-1996.

To be performed correctly, an individual must face north at 7 p.m. and recite the chant with arms extended WEST and EAST. The chant is recited three times, between each recitation the individual slowly rotates westerly (with arms still extended) and, upon arriving at the north-facing starting position, jumps up in the air, raises a clenched fist and yells SNOW! Ocean moisture (represented by the right hand to the east), mixes with the cold of the north and west and moves in over us.


CONSEQUENCES OF IMPROPERLY PERFORMED SNOW CHANT include, but are not limited to:

1. Rain...particularly if the individual faces south when reciting
2. Light snow...caused by not enough 7 p.m. participation
3. Light snow accompanied by high winds...caused by too quick a rotation
4. Sleet...too many participants facing south at 7 p.m.
5. Clouds...not enough participants grabbed moisture from the east
6. School

Sine Die

From Thursday evening to mid-day on Saturday, I have been in the company of fellow Episcopalians from the Diocese of Virginia. We were gathered for our annual Council meeting to share ideas, successes, challenges and hopes. We presented resolutions, a budget, and reports from various committees. We elected representatives to diocesan governance and to the national convention. We mixed and mingled while visiting informational displays, vendors' tables and coffee stations. We spread out through the local restaurants for lunches and dinner. We discussed issues before the Council, the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.

We are not all of one mind. We struggle with the questions of biblical literalism and its role in the full inclusion of all people in the church, with the treatment of undocumented people in our midst, with prioritizing budget items in a year of scant resources. But, you know, we recognized the gift of opportunity to voice our opinions face-to-face in a setting of mutual respect - an example of what it means to be Anglican.

Together we sang, together we listened, together we worshiped, together we partook of the Eucharist. And when it was over, we gathered our notes, straightened our chairs and prepared to leave to council. We were satisfied with good work and we were energized to work some more.

Our bishop banged the gavel and adjourned the 213th Annual Council - sine die - until we meet again.

si•ne di•e
Pronunciation: (sī'nē dī'ē, sin'ā-dē'ā; Lat. si'ne dē'e), without fixing a day for future action or meeting: The assembly adjourned sine die.

Grandparents

In several conversations this week the topic of grandparent memories has been discussed. I'm lucky enough to remember three grandmothers, two grandfathers and one great-grandmother, so I have a rich variety of memories. Here are a few:

Grandpa Kilzer's elderberry jelly and tractor rides
Grandma Kilzer's homemade bread and chicken gravy
Grandad Vohs' hats and courtly manners
Nannie's roses, peonies and sewing
Näna's apricot jam and drawer full of McCall's paper dolls

Now, my grandparents were real people; they were patient but had their limits, they wanted the best for me and the best from me. They have inspired me in many ways.

With Hannah's birthday coming up soon, I wonder what she'll remember about me when she shares grandparent memories!

Some Things That Brightened My Day

There are times when I can capture a moment with a camera, and times I can't. Here are a few things that I couldn't photograph today:

The beautiful blue-gray waves of clouds as a cold front passed to the north.

The pride on a first-grader's face as she explained, through her tears, how she was clear to the top of the climbing wall before she fell and scraped her tummy. (Oh, the miracle of band-aids and ice.)

The bouncy curls of a little sister who ran to my chair to say hello...
and the bright eyes of another little sister who still doesn't have any hair!

The orange-red glow of the late-afternoon sun on the breasts of cedar waxwings flying overhead.

For them all I say, "Thanks be to God."

How Many of "You" Are There?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 2 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

It's Friday! Here's a little something to waste your time on.

It's a Fire Drill Day!

In my little part of the world, it will be 70+ degrees today, January 8!

My little part of the world includes an elementary school. We are required to have one fire drill per month, except for September when we have one fire drill per week. So, on this fine spring day in the mid-winter, we will pull that alarm and escape to the great-outdoors for about 10 minutes.

We will wish for a Gone Fishin' sign, we may run to the store for ground beef and buns, we will go for the daily walk we resolved to do, we will think of our sisters who snow shoe!