Festive Snow Night

    We got about 5 inches of snow today, us and most of the Boston Area.  Sometimes it came down so hard, I couldn’t see across the street  (that could also be the fog).
    My upstairs neighbor’s menorah inspired me, I wanted some latkes for supper in the worse way, so since potato pancakes are special, I’d invited Mom over.  (Pregnant ladies are allowed some cravings right?) Thursday nights are her night to do Prima Latina with B anyhow, so she did it here instead of us sending him there.  In addition to our pancakes with apple sauce and sour cream, we had romaine salad with roast beets, pears, blue cheese and walnuts, dressed with a mild vinagrete.  YUM!  K dropped by at the last minute, and we convinced him to stay for supper.  "This is the most…." he paused for a descriptive word.  My DH suggested, "Cosmopolitan?"  K shook his head, I never did find out what he thought of supper!
    My neighbor’s 4 teenage girls were fending for themselves tonight, both of their parents stayed at work tonight rather than drive home.  They fixed themselves supper, let us know they were alright, then dropped by to borrow snow shovels.  Never a gentleman to only lend out tools, my DH, our friend K and B donned boots and gear, AND lent the girls more shovels, and together dug out their drive and ours as well.
    When they were nearly done, my DH send B secretly inside to ask if I could have a plate of cookies and tea and cocoa ready to share with the girls, or would that be too much for me?  My mom helped me get everything ready.  I’m so glad for those cookies in the freezer. 
    The girls had worked so hard, they were more interested in orange juice and milk, but some took tea and talked about their favorite kinds.  They are working hard towards college, taking AP classes and upper level math courses.  I haven’t talked to some of them recently, it was fun to touch base and feel proud of them.
    The impromptu cocoa snacks reminded me of another time we had them all over for cocoa: one of the years before M was born, so it may have been 6 years ago, they all got up at 4AM with us to watch the Leonid meteor shower.  We actually lay down in our street in our sleeping bags to see clearly, there were many, many meteors that morning, all starting out from the same spot in the sky.  We only had to move for the truck delivering papers to the paper boys.  After the sky lightened, we gathered in my kitchen to eat Clementines, drink cocoa, and then all headed back to bed for an hour or two before Sunday School.  One of my neighbors called that morning one of the most magical of her childhood.  Well, we were honored.
    Right now, DH, K, B, Mom and the upstairs neighbors are shoveling out the rest of the cars, about to drive over to my Mom’s house to finish off her drive, then they will probably need showers, they are so SWEATY.