The Yankee in Winter

This morning the alarm went off at 7:00 a.m., as it usually does. After I turned it off I heard an unfamiliar noise--rhythmic but not quite constant. My first thought was, "What's going on in the Guest Houses?" I got up and walked into the kitchen to see if I could identify where the noise was coming from. Outside. Someone was shoveling snow. That's a noise I haven't heard in a long time.

For the most part we've had a pretty mild winter here. Well, for a New Englander it's been pretty mild. As soon as the temperatures dipped into the forties I began seeing people in winter coats. The last three days, however, have been bitterly cold, which was a definite improvement over a full week of gray, foggy, wet weather last week. It was cold enough this week that I dug out my winter hat for the first time since I've been down here. I wonder how long it will be before I put on my winter coat when it gets down into the forties.

Today we had what some called a dusting. Yet it was enough to delay opening the local schools for two hours. Federal workers were given the option of generous leave or telecommuting. A colleague posted on Facebook some tips about driving cautiously. I learned my winter driving skills in Minnesota, northern Illinois, and Wisconsin, so I'm not too worried about my driving. It's all the other people on the road that have little to no experience even in this little bit of snow that I worry about.

Many local roads are still icy, and rush hour tomorrow could be interesting. Fortunately, I don't have to drive to get anywhere. More snow is on the way tomorrow afternoon. It will be interesting to observe first hand how little snow snarls up the DC area.

I don't envy the workers taking down the shell of the burned chapel. For quite a while it was difficult to see any progress because the work started with cleaning the debris from the inside and stabilizing the walls so they could take them down safely. Some of the remaining walls will enclose a memorial garden and outdoor worship space while preserving the footprint of the historic building and a few of the architectural details. Many folks still wish they could have rebuilt the chapel. A lot of history and memories resided in those walls.

I, along with the students who entered the Seminary after the October 2010 fire, have no emotional attachment to the 1881 Chapel. While the loss of a historic building is always painful, it really was an unremarkable piece of church architecture. Except the walls, which even after the fire, withstood the earthquake, the Derecho, and Hurricane Sandy, primarily because of strengthening beams added after the building had been completed. But even that strength really wasn't enough to justify the cost of rebuilding a chapel that no longer really served the needs of the community. In the meantime, we continue to worship in the Interim Chapel in the lower level of the academic building.

I wonder what all of this will look like after tomorrow's predicted snowfall.