On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

The only logical reason I can give for liking snow in the least is that my kids may get a day off. And the day off is not only a break for them , it’s a relief for me.

A snow day is a day that I don’t have to fight with them to get up, get dressed, eat, brush and rush out the door. I don’t have to pack snacks, and I save money on lunches. If school is cancelled the night before, it’s even better. They can sleep in.

Getting my two teenage sons up in the morning has become one my most hated chores. I can’t blame them for wanting to stay in bed. What would you rather do, stay in bed or get up and deal with…school? School isn’t as bad as it was when we went but it’s still…school.

I really don’t mind the snow blowing and the shoveling and the wet clothes. I do, however, mind the people who have parked in front of my house, and toss the snow back onto my clean sidewalk.

My boys still get excited about the snow and that’s cool. During the last storm I was in my kitchen when I heard a loud horn start blasting as it passed my house. It was one of my pals from the DPW in a humongous plow.

I got a kick out of that. He even has to plow in his own driveway in because of the even-odd parking rules. Lots of people think that they should rotate the parking bans from odd to even every other year. Either way you have to admit that the city does a great job of clearing the roads, and offering alternate parking choices during snow emergencies.

Seeing how last year was so mild and we had hardly any snow at all, I never even started my snow blower. I had warned my new tenants on the first floor that when I start the snow blower (in their side of the cellar because their bulk head is a clear shot out to the yard) there would be some stinky smoke.

So last week I started it, and let it run for 10 minutes. Stupid me didn’t think of letting it run outside, so the whole house stunk for a day and a half. When the snow came, however, our sidewalks and driveway were clean as a whistle.

I read in the News that there was a scuffle involving bats and shovels during the last storm. Snow seems to bring out the worst in people. When we were kids it brought out the best, to a degree. No school, sledding , snow forts, and snowball fights.

I remember getting a snowball in the face from an older jerk in the neighborhood, and yes I still carry a grudge. I also love the crowds at the supermarkets who stock up like there was a famine coming.

I am writing this on Monday and they are predicting a snowstorm for Wednesday. Hopefully it will start around mid night so they have plenty of time to cancel school. MSN says that the snow should be starting around mid-night. Perfect!

If it starts around 9 or 9:30, I will let the kids stay up in anticipation of a snow day.

There used to be a tradition in the Ville (and other places) of holding the parking spot you dig out. This is when we saw everything from kitchen chairs, to dressers, bureaus, and recliners holding parking spots. This practice however is now illegal. You can’t “Hi Holdsies” a parking space anymore. The DPW will come and confiscate any articles of furniture used to save a space.

One thing I miss about the old days of Somerville snowstorms was the after snow storm furniture shopping. My roommates and I used to drive around and pick up chairs, tables, and other household items from these parking spots. That was discounted furniture Jordan’s, Cardi’s, Bob’s, and even Bernie and Phyl couldn’t match!