Who expects a snow day in late October? But that is exactly why I am home from school today. While there is no snow near school which is in session, I live atop a mountain where the weather is always colder and snowier than the rest of the county.

It started yesterday afternoon when we heard a rumor at school that Route 80 west was closed. so Jean and Nancy put on New Jersey 12 to see what was happening. The news was discussing the snowstorm in the northwestern corner of the state. Not only was there 8" of snow, but the roads leading west were parking lots. Jean talked to a friend on the phone who took 4 hours to drive home. It was worse for Nancy, since fallen trees were responsible for her having no power, nor did the police anticipate her getting it back overnight.

Jean and I went to a meeting, then supper, finally leaving for home at 6:00. It took us 2 hours to get home, normally a 40 minute ride. The snow worsened as we got closer to home and, as usual, the top of the mountain where we live was the worst: the roads were all covered with snow, there was close to 10" on the ground, and dozens of trees had broken branches because of the combined weight of snow and leaves. It looked as if a tornado had struck the region.

I knew the roads leading off the mountain would be treacherous this morning, so we stayed home and will spend most of the day cleaning up (although there is nothing we can do for all the poor, broken trees). My son was supposed to be at work at 7:00 this morning, but he left at 9:00 when the roads were finally clear. This is definitely not a good omen for winter!