Last time it snowed in San Francisco was 1976, I was a senior at Marquette!  Now it is predicted again.  Last year we had some beautiful dusting on the surrounding hills.  We almost always get snow on Mt. Diablo as its summit is nearly 4000 feet.  Last year, however, there was snow on all the hills in our area – it was quite beautiful and for about a day it felt like we were living in Colorado.  There was, indeed, snow in Lafayette.  Our house sits under the trees so we didn’t have much, but the lowlands in the rest of the town were worthy of photographs in the paper.

Now.  They are predicting snow at sea level. Somehow those words just don’t sound right together, do they?  Palm trees at sea level, snow on a mountain. It’s like my brain doesn’t want to work that hard to figure it out.  But predicted it is.  It looks cold outside – it’s not too bad right now, and if this does happen it will be at night.  We will wake up to our California world turned upside down.  I’m getting the cameras ready.

The big worry (and my sister has already texted me and told me to be careful, since Mom is in Florida and is sort of incommunicado) is that we live on a hillside.  Our driveway starts somewhere in middle earth and rises halfway to the moon.  If we wake up to snow, or even ice – guess what?  It’s a SNOW DAY!!!!!  I’m kind of sad this didn’t happen when the kids were little and I had to fake our snow days.  Andy is living home right now so he’ll get a taste of the joy, but I’m worried he’s just going to ignore all logic and drive down the hill.  “Mom,” he’ll say, “you’re being Grandma.”  (To which I always answer “thank you.” )

It’s all very exciting.  I covered up my tender little sweet pea tendrils and pulled a bunch of wood into the house; the daffodils and primroses and crocus and hyacinths which are already up will have to fend for themselves.  In Chicago the spring flowers bloom right through the snow.  No telling what these coddled California bulbs will do, weep and fall over I’m guessing.  And the oranges.  If Mom were here she’d tell you the farmers like a little frost because it “sets” the sugar.  But snow?  This is the first year we have a tree full of oranges – Andy joked that the tree was sexually “matoower.”  We tried one the other day but they aren’t ready despite being fully orange.  They need the springtime sun.  I’ll be irritated if they freeze or something.

Once again, I bitch and moan long enough – this time about missing Chicago winter – and I get what I want.  I’ll post photos.  Very cool.  Er – cold.