Because We're Cold?

I'm from the south.  I've heard all the lines about how we're terrible drivers in snow.  I don't have a problem with that, because we are terrible drivers.  We lack experience and we have fluctuating temperatures that often cause nice snow to turn into icy slush--and that can be a hazard to drive on for anyone.

When I was a child, we would get out of school if there was snow.  It didn't have to be much snow, and let me tell you when we saw those flakes falling down out of the classroom windows, we couldn't wait to hear the dismissal bell.  It never seemed to come quickly enough though.  It was as if they wanted to make certain it was going to stick not only to the ground, but the roads too.

That was many years ago.  There has been a trend since of being more and more cautious when it comes to snow and dangerous road conditions.   Not too long ago if it even flaked for a few minutes, school would be out--just to be safe.  Sometimes if there was a solid and confident prediction for snow they'd even delay or cancel school--before a single flake fell.

Today, something happened I am still flabbergasted about:  schools were on a two-hour delay due to cold.  Not snow, not ice, in fact no precipitation at all.  The grounds weren't wet and the streets were in no danger.  It wasn't even that cold.  There was a preemptive delaying of many schools for two hours simply because the temperature was going to be in the teens.

This morning was sunny and not quite as cold as predicted.  There was no frost on the ground.  I'm not sure why some schools needed to delay (ours didn't).  I heard it was because buses needed to be started early so they could warm up and something about thermostats in the schools needed to be turned on earlier than usual.

I'm not sure I understand why that's a valid reason for delaying school.  Was it because people wanted to be more comfortable--two hours later--when it was a mere four degrees warmer?

The Big Boy Update:  Looking for toothpaste?  I found him in our bathroom, on the counter with the water running in the sink.  He had the drawer with the children's medicines opened and had found all the toothpastes.  He had taken all the caps off and was sampling the flavors and using all the toothbrushes (we have more than one child's toothbrush in there.)  Fortunately, he didn't open the salves and creams also in tubes.  I suppose there weren't any interesting pictures on those.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Asleep with the iPad.  This afternoon I gave her the iPad so I could get dinner ready.  My parents arrived just as I went to check on her.  She was on our bed, slumped over asleep, watching some video on the PBS app with two bakers making cupcakes.

Someone Once Said:  You can't please everybody, because people want different things.