Moving on to Snow and Ice

It's a sure sign of aging when one no longer gets bad cabin fever.

We moved to Scottsboro in 1980. For years we could count on at least one "snowed in" experience during the winter..or iced in... At some point it stopped and we haven't had too many of those - not consistently - but we did this year, this week.

I used to get cabin fever really bad. The worst case I had was the year, 1988. I was very pregnant with Kate. Ann was 7, Laura Beth was 5 1/2 and Sarah was 2. We had had snow and then severe freezing. Days of being snowed and iced in and so cold. Charlie was driving a Bronco at the time and able, if necessary, to get out on the roads - but it was still risky. I remember calling my friend, Corny Rose and saying, "Bad news, we're all coming over!" I couldn't stand it any longer - I was going nuts. The last thing she needed was my showing up with the 3 little munchkins and my pregnant self - but we were close enough friends that I could infringe on her and she would still love me and even be nice to me while we were there. Charlie drove us over and left us there for a while. I am curious to know how long it would take me, now, to have to break out of the house.

I don't mind being stuck, in fact, I like it. There's so many personal projects and tasks I can do in my home - I need never leave it. But - there's the case of food - have to get it - but I even like making do with what I have - we wouldn't starve - it might not continue to be very exciting - but there's food. Or - like now - I'm out of computer paper and am about out of cardstock - my mainstay for projects and printing out stuff. Also - it's getting close to time to get more of my favorite photo paper from Office Pro or whatever it's called.

The Barbers, on the other hand, were suffering terribly from cabin fever yesterday - they reminded me of myself in 1988 when I could take it no longer. They did come into town yesterday afternoon and all spent the night here. It was an interesting night with Andrew - he was not loving the change of beds and created quite a disturbance in the night.

So - here we are with a little snow still on the ground - it definitely hasn't been a fast melt - but we didn't get so much either - if we're gonna go to the trouble to have snow - well, I prefer that it be really thick.

It Was Worse Than I Expected...

In my last post I wrote that I was traveling south to Evergreen. I did that to see my old high school which is being demolished. It was worse than I expected it to be and almost wish I hadn't seen it like that - but now am glad I did. I salvaged a few treasures - but first I'll show our initial responses to the building.

Mary Ann and I seeing the inside of the Home Ec/Ag Building. At first it was the only building we could get into. Demolition and neglect had made the whole school an "enter at your own risk" kind of ruin.

Next picture - my cousin, Bert, looking at the demolished auditorium and remembering, sharing the same sadness over its having to be torn down - (By the way, if you want to see what Bert does - when he's not answering my call to show up at old EHS to help me with a door I want to take home - go to www.conniemfg.com - He is a really, really smart business leader and he's had so many career successes - this is just one of them.)



Our first step into the Home Ec building.

This building actually meant more to Mother, in her lifetime, than to Mary Ann or me. Mother took Home Ec in this building and learned, here, to perfect her sewing skills, cooking skills, and home management skills. She always talked about Mrs. McInnis being her favorite teacher and how close they were. I had Mrs. M. for my Home and Family teacher during my senior year. I didn't take Home Economics.

Next picture,

The interior looking from an outside entrance.

I couldn't even walk in there without hesitation.

There was a sense of the ceiling possibly falling in.

This was what we referred to as "the senior hall".

The light at the end of the perspective point is the opposite end of what is a very long hall. It runs the length of the front of the school and below are the doors which would take one out the other end toward the chemistry room or "the new part of the school - including the new bandroom". The new addition was built at the end of 1967 - completed that summer. Mary Ann graduated in 1967 and didn't get to enjoy the new bandroom which Daddy was so thrilled to have. I always liked the old bandroom better. It had more character and more memories. Typical of me. Same as now, not wanting to let go of this building. Before the original BR was our bandroom it had been a one room church which sat across the street from the high school. I don't know when it became the bandroom for Evergreen High School - but I remember it as far back as I can recall - going with Mother and Daddy and Mary Ann up there after school hours. Probably Daddy needing something up there and having something to take care of. It was my Daddy's "office". My memory goes back to at least 3 years of age.

An old desk
And Bert going into the back entrance to the lunchroom. Naturally we had never been through that door - only employees would have entered there. There was an old device just inside for them to "clock in".

And a photo of the lunchroom taken from the kitchen's perspective. I just didn't venture very far in.

Bert and I both were quietly remembering so many school days and school events in that lunchroom - senior banquets, lunchroom antics, band banquets and football banquets, conversations around tables - high school lunchrooms.

But, guess what?
The snow is falling today in Scottsboro, AL
We are bundling up for an "arctic blast".
Things are going to freeze over.
Kate - if you read this post - phone home, from New Orleans.
I don't know if on Saturday you'll be able to get from
B'ham to S'boro. See Kate's blog, www.katherinerhodes.blogspot.com. She is talking about her New Orleans trip.

Next post will either be snow or my school and what I brought home with me. It's beautiful.