This Crazy Arkansas Weather

On Monday of this week, we awakened to unseasonably warm temperatures. The thought briefly passed through my mind that I could easily see myself wearing a skirt and flip-flops to class that morning. "It's January," I reminded myself. "People will laugh at you if you show up in flip-flops."
So I dressed in something appropriate for what the weather would normally be in January (never mind that my upstairs classroom usually feels 15-20 degrees warmer than it should). And I roasted.

Walking out to my car afterward, I spoke briefly with Susan, the ninth-grade English teacher who was wearing flip-flops. We commented on how beautiful the weather was, and could this be a sign we would have an early spring.

The next morning, the weather again was gorgeous when I awoke to a balmy 65 degrees. And so I did what I had wanted to do the day before. I shaved my very white legs, threw on a skirt and top and my most favorite pair of Skechers flip flops. (This is probably a violation of some obscure rule in the 20-page dress code, but since I haven't taken the time to read it all, I surely can't be held responsible for following it, right??)

Hubs commented before he left for work that we were going to see a significant drop in temperatures that day, and there was even a chance of snow that evening.

A wiser woman would have immediately put on a pair of tights and boots (seeing as how my warm wool pants are forbidden by the dress code), but I dismissed his warning and assumed that the big drop the forecasters were predicting surely wouldn't happen before I got home around noon. After all, those guys are rarely right anyway.

So off I went in 60ish degree weather. A mere 90 MINUTES LATER as The Little Man and I headed to the mall to buy Daddy's birthday present, it was already well on its way to the 30s. Those smirks that I had worried about getting the day before ... yes, I got plenty of them as we braved strong winds (without coats, of course, because who would wear a coat and flip-flops together??) G and I went into a shoe store to get Dad a new pair of Merrill's and when I asked for a man's size, she coyly remarked that it looked like I could use a pair of shoes as well. What could I do but laugh?

It's been freezing every day since, and the snow finally came yesterday, though not nearly as much as we'd been told we'd get. Somehow our 4-7" turned into not much more than a heavy dusting, but we got two days out of school, which have been wonderful!

This is the view from my deck this morning:


Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go pack away every pair of sandals I own just to avoid the temptation of donning another pair anytime in the near future.