Snowfall predicted across the entire country
Flakes started falling just after midnight
Sleet dropped next after a six-inch accummulation
All on a quiet Sunday
Crockpot filled with beef stew ingredients
Kindle opened to My Friends by F. Backman
Neighbors out shoveling before the sleet stopped
(Not me, I stayed inside, sipping my warm tea)
All on a quiet Sunday
Sunday text arrives:
“All APS schools and offices will be closed on Monday”
The 5:30am Monday alarm didn’t go off
Breakfast enjoyed around 10am
Viewed the ALA Youth Book Awards live
Took time to curate a list of all winning book (see below)
Took time to head outside to clear off the car
Took time to walk to the corner even though no plow has been on my street
All on a quiet Monday
Monday text arrives:
“All APS schools and offices will be closed on Tuesday”
Looking forward to rising early tomorrow on Tuesday
First task will be to open the TwoWritingTeachers blog
I’ll have plenty of TIME to participate in 1/27/26 Slice of Life
I hope all reading this are warm and safe
NOTE: Need a good book?!!
How about one that just won an ALA award!
Curated List of the 2026 ALA Youth Media Awards
Writing Stories by Sally 
Did I tell you my son and his fiancee bought a house on Capitol Hill? He is not enjoying the shoveling aspect of being a home owner. It sounds like you had a cozy day! I hope you enjoy today as well. If you have any must reads for grade 5 from the list, let me know- I am conidering options before I hit send!
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Sally, enjoy the extra day staying warm and being able to read. That’s a fabulous Backman book. I read it over the holiday break and loved it. Put Theo of Golden on your list, too – it’s fabulous. I want to come for dinner for some of that crock pot stew – tea, snow, books, great food, friends…..make snow days the best ever. Enjoy the gift of the day!
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Great news about your son!! I look forward to seeing you the next time you visit him! As for MUST READS, I loved Will’s Race for Home and All the Blue in the Sky. I plan to get and read A Sea of Lemon Trees. My friend told me he read The Teacher of Nomad Land – said he liked it and it was short. I also plan to read Legendary Frybread Drive-In as it won many awards! Happy Reading!
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I was so happy to see Renée Watson win the Newbery! I spent some of my quiet Monday rereading All the Blues in the Sky. I loved the repetition in your poem.
That’s a LOT of snow for Virginia. We have a couple of feet where I live, and more on its way…
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Sally, I believe that you will be receiving more texts this week about school being closed. The DMV just doesn’t bounce back from weather like this. I too am enjoying another day at home. Thank you for including the information about the ALA awards. I have just spent time placing requests for books from the public library. Now wondering when the libraries will open. They too are closed today.
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Sally,
Sounds as though you’re enjoying the snow days and filling them w/ books. Love the poem and the pics. Thank you for sharing all the winners. It’s interesting to see what various committees chose in relation to what the NCTE Poetry Committee selected. I’m reliving some conversations from November in my head.
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I have always enjoyed snowy days… there’s something about the whiteness, the hush, the slowing down of life that restores. Of course, I’m speaking as one who wasn’t responsible for the shoveling. This winter storm that dumped heavy snow on most of the nation bypassed us entirely.
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I love the soft quietness of this slice. I found myself whispering it as I read it! We have snowy days here in Indiana, too. It has been a soup, fire, and book kind of weekend.
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Sally,
Love the refrain of “Took time”
You were smart to choose tea inside over shoveling outside.
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I liked reading your post. There must be a lot of work with so much snow. But it looks beautiful. We don’t have a winter, so I like to look at photos of snow everywhere.
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