Snow Day for a Freelance Writer

Snowy days are just another workday for most freelance writers, but I'm not complaining.

I live in Fort Collins, Colorado, about an hour north of Denver. It's been snowing since dawn and snow is expected to keep dropping for about 24 hours, but we're only supposed to end up with about six inches. Denver's getting it worse.

At least I don't have to go outside in this mess. I can sit here and tell everyone about it.

7:30 a.m. - Wake up, put on a couple of layers and see tiny flakes falling on a dusting of snow that hasn't stuck to the roads yet. Listen to the radio tell me all about the school closures all over the city. Unlike the typical attitude of "you'll come to school until the entire building is buried," most schools are closed despite the light snow. Everyone's seen the serious forecast and nobody's doubting it.

7:45 a.m. - Almost fall on butt in driveway picking up newspaper. Maybe this stuff is sticking.

8 a.m. - Log in to Facebook and check on friends with real jobs who are either having snow days or wasting time at work Twittering about the storm. A doctorate student in meteorology is posting regular and accurate (I think) updates on the snow totals here. Another friend is posting photos every hour or so here.

8:15 a.m. - Wife leaves for work expecting to work all day, then go to ballet class. Good luck with that, babe.

8:30 a.m. - Reneg on offer to return borrowed sleds today. I don't want to drive in this slop (and I want to keep the sleds for another day, of course)

8:45 a.m. - DJ warns everybody the roads are icy and sloppy even though it looks like it isn't sticking very much. Apparently her replacement had just called in saying she would be late.

9:00 a.m. - Procrastinate by looking for good snow day music. My picks: Fleet Foxes, Sun Kil Moon, Bon Iver and Mi and Lau

9:30 a.m. - Watch neighbor shovel driveway for the first time.

10:00 a.m. - Take photos of the snow. For the first picture, I was safe and warm from inside. As a journalist who will stop at nothing for my readers, I stepped about three feet out the front door for a second photo of our big pine tree in the front yard. It looks more like a Christmas scene than it did on Christmas day. I had to step outside, but I just got some snow on the bottom of my slippers.

10:15 a.m. - Post these photos to my blog, return to Facebook to taunt Coloradans who don't live here anymore (one of whom taunted me back about her beautiful warm morning hike in the East Bay area.

10:30 a.m. - Do some actual work. Write a couple of stories. Don't interrupt me.

12:30 p.m. - Take more photos. Step outside to capture the accumulation on the tree. My slippers were completely buried in the snow.

1 p.m. - Watch neighbor shovel driveway for the second time (and the sidewalks all around him AND the driveway for our elderly lady neighbor - way to make me feel guilty). Make lunch and tea (I don't feel that guilty).

1:30 p.m. - Write up this timeline and post it to Associated Content. Check Amy's twitterfeed for more. I'll also keep posting photos on my blog.