It was 4 degrees outside on the morning of Wednesday, the 24th of February, and with some occasional light snowfall since before dawn. Many parents in the neighborhood, including Al and Marge, rode their cubs to the bus stop in their cars so they can sit in the warmth of the car with the engine and heater running, instead of standing out in 4 degree weather waiting for the bus. "It shouldn't be long before the bus gets here", Al mentioned as that morning southbound freight train came through Duran. "There's the train now". Al, Marge, and the cubs watching the Southern Pacific freight train go by from the comfort of inside the car, and the other cars parked nearby with parents and cubs in them, would have reminded anyone of how the scene would look at a drive-in movie. Not very long afterward, the caboose had rolled by at the end of the train...About seven minutes after the train had passed by, bus #17 came rolling up right on time. "See you all this afternoon", Marge said to the cubs as she let Donna off her lap and out of the car, then her and Al got out of the car to let Clarence, Jed and Rex out from the back. Other cubs and teens, some carrying books and completed homework assignments, were exiting all the other cars as well to catch the bus. "Cold one this morning", Jerald Coyote said to Stimson Mink as he boarded the bus. "You're not kidding, Sport", Stimpson replied. "You should have been with me before dawn, when I was checking the oil, brake fluid and tires before I began my route. "No thank you Stimpson. I think I'd have to let that offer pass", Jerald replied as he and Stimpson laughed. "BRRRRRR!", Ryan Lynx said as he boarded the bus. "Translated in English...It's cold", Ryan's sister, Janice said. "It's not cold. It's super cold", Rex proclaimed as he, Jed, Clarence and Donna were boarding the bus. "Well how 'bout you super cubs get on in the bus so the rest of us can get in out of the cold", Dotty Coyote said just before she boarded. "Hi, Shug", Dotty greeted Stimpson as she boarded. "Hi there, Dotty", Stimpson returned the greeting. Cheryl, who had already gotten aboard the bus, saved a seat beside her for Clarence. Once everyone was aboard, Stimpson Mink closed the door, put that '54 Chevy bus into gear, and they were on their way. Along the bus route, everyone noticed that other parents had the same idea of letting their cubs sit in a warm car while waiting for the bus. Each bus stop they approached, there were one or more cars with engines and heaters running. And as the bus rolled to a stop, cubs and / or teens would leave the cars to board the bus. They did still encounter some occasional light snow, some of it enough for Stimpson Mink to give the windshield wipers an on-off click occasionally, though it wasn't enough to form up on the roads. Being there were times the cubs would get a song going during a bus ride, a few cubs decided to start singing the song, 'Let it Snow'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7TW1xH8N7c And it wasn't long before the rest of the cubs chimed in, although many of the cubs who didn't know all the lyrics to the song substituted "da da dat, dot dot da" in place of the unknown lyrics. One of the times the cubs got to "Let it snow. Let it snow Let it snow", Stimpson Mink tooted the bus horn along with the lyrics >honk honk honk - honk honk honk - honk honk honk< by which the cubs, and Stimpson Mink, got a good laugh from. As Stimpson Mink opened the door to activate the bus flasher as he stopped for the Santa Fe Railroad crossing near Encino, the cubs got that invisible cub gag going. "Invisible cub caught the bus as usual", said Ryan Lynx as Stimpson Mink closed the bus door and proceeded over the railroad crossing. "Not this time, he didn't", Stimpson Mink said as the cubs chuckled. "His daddy's car wasn't out there. And it's too cold for him to be standing this weather". "Teacher's gonna mark him abseeennnt", Cheryl Coyote jested from where she and Clarence sat snuggled together. "Aw aw. Invisible cub's gonna get another big whoppin' F for the day", Gail Skunk said as the other cubs laughed. "And a big paddle whoppin' tomorrow too for missin' the bus", Randy Fox said, getting another round of laughter from the other cubs. After all, half the fun of school should be the trip to and from...And before long, Stimpson Mink completed the route, thus another morning of ensuring the cubs arrived to school safely. As school classes began, some teachers had to get onto their students about paying attention to school work instead of paying attention to the light snowfall outside. In Glenda Otter's 3rd grade class, Rex, Clarence, Cheryl, Ginger Fox, and Bucky Beaver with his arm still in a sling, would occasionally look out the window to see if the snow would pick up some. Glenda Otter eventually told them, "I don't recall hanging the blackboard on the window. The blackboard is over here...Okay?". In Samantha Badger's 1st grade class, the class Donna Coyote is in, Donna, Gail skunk (although Gail was seven years old, she had failed the 1st grade last year), and some other 1st graders were looking out the window at the snow coming down. Teacher, Samantha Badger told the cubs, "You won't to see Santa Bear out there by gazing at the window. He came and went back to the north pole two months ago". In the 5th grade class Jed Coyote was in, teacher, Edward Aardwolf, reminded the class, "You're not here in school to look out of the window at snow flakes falling. You can do that at home".
______________________________ At the Horizon Innovations Laboratory, it had not been very long after Al and other fellow scientists had arrived to work that everyone was being given the day off that morning. "What's up?", Johnny Ferret asked as he and Lenard Wolverine were working on calulations and engineering sketches for a project to be later submitted to the drafting department. "It could be due to more snow being expected", Al replied to Johnny, as Al was awaiting a new project engineering assignment. "It is more snow", Harold Wolf affirmed. "There's a system of heavy snow on the way. They're letting everyone off while the roads are still good". "Animals in the machine shop and the drafting department are leaving to go home now", Woodrow Raccoon added. "Marvin Woodchuck and Felix Cat were sent home from the photo lab as soon as they arrived", Harold Wolf further added. "I heard their going to let the school out early", Greg Otter mentioned, hoping that his youngest son, Danny, will use some common sense while driving that Studebaker Golden Hawk of his with snow on the roads. As soon as Al got a turn at using one of the Lab's phone lines, he called home to inform Marge the Lab was closing for the day due to snow...During the conversation, Marge did mention that she had seen a weather bulletin on TV. Thus, being that Horizon Innovations closed for the day, everyone, except for a security guard detail, checked out from work, got in their cars and headed on out for home. During the drive back home, Al did notice a slight increase in the snowfall, though it wasn't quite yet forming on the road except for occasional small patches in places.
______________________________ Meanwhile, at school, everyone noticed the increased snowfall at about 9:40, in which the cubs were excited about the snow falling as they looked out of the windows...And it was at about 9:47 when the cubs were even more excited, as they heard Principal Monty Wolverine making an announcement over the school's intercom system..."May I have everyone's attention please. We will be dismissing school early this morning at 11:30..." If you were in the hallway, you could have heard the cubs in the classrooms cheering, "YEAAAYYYYY", followed by hearing teachers telling their classes to be quiet for the rest of the announcement. The rest of the announcement continued, "...There is heavy snowfall expected to be here after noon time...It's not expected to get above the low 20s today, and tomorrow morning is expected to be in the teens, which means the snow will still be around. So school will also be closed tomorrow, Thursday the 25th...School will resume as regularly scheduled on Friday the 26th". There were then the phone calls that elementary school secretary Rita Fox had to make to inform parents that school was letting out early...With there being so many parents to call, time and dialing was saved by calling the operator to have calls connected to several households at a time, known as a party line. This way, Rita Fox could talk to several households of parents at a time...Otherwise, it would have been nearly 150 individual phone calls.
___ At the high school part of the campus complex,Principal Clayton Wolf had summoned Biff Pitbull and his brother Richie, and their sidekick Gaston Pitbull, to the office to informed them that being school was letting out early and will also be closed tomorrow due to the snow, quite obviously their detention will not be going for today and tomorrow. "Not to say you're off the hook for these two days though", Principal Wolf told the juvenile delinquent pitbull threesome. "Richie. Your last day of detention is moved up from March 2nd to March 4th...Gaston. Your last day is moved from March 9th to March 11th. That four letter word you told me Friday wasn't worth the five extra days, was it". Gaston stood there with a disgruntled expression. "You don't like it, Gaston? Tough.", Principal Wolf told Gaston, then told Biff, "And your last day of detention has been move to March 18th". "Hey!", Biff Pitbull retorted. "Someone got their math a little off, Bud!". "You listen to me!", Principal Wolf ranted at Biff as he pointed a finger at Biff's face. "My name is not Bud. It happens to be Clayton Wolf. Principal Clayton Wolf to you...Bud. And don't you raise your voice in here either". "If I know my arithmetic right, the 9th plus two days don't make the 18th", Biff retorted. "Rufus Opossum told me about that loud, potty mouth blast-off you hollered this past Monday", Principal Wolf informed Biff. "That got you another five days. You didn't figure that one into your arithmetical equation, did you?....Bud". "But some Coyote brat shouted from a car, make it pretty", Biff retorted. "One of them who's dad drives that black Chrysler". "This is not about a cub shouting from a Chrysler automobile", Principal Wolf replied. "So don't even go there". "But...But...", Biff began. "No more buts out of you about it , Biff, unless you want your last day of detention being sometime in April", Principal Wolf told Biff, then told the three of them. "Now out of my office". Once the three pitbulls were down the hallway and away from the office, Biff ranted, "I could kill that opossum! He just had to go pop off his big fat shit hole to Clayton, didn't he". "I know who that coyote cub is who started that whole shit...A fucken' 3rd grader. Rex Coyote", Said Gaston. Biff then ranted, "I'd like to kick his little brat ass all over this fuckin' ass school yard if it weren't for going through Genda Otter to get to him". "Yea...Glenda Godzilla. And you know that brat's gonna be stickin' close by her from now on", Richie added, then asked Gaston, "Where the Hell does this Rex Coyote live anyway?". "I don't know where the fuck he lives", Gaston answered. "Not around here anyway. I know that. Biff then mentioned, "Only problem with showin' up where lives is, you might run into a daddy with shotgun". "Yeaaa...Fuck that shit", said Gaston. After the conversation while walking down the hallway, Biff, Richie and Gaston went back to their classes to await being dismissed from school when 11:30 arrives.
______________________________ When Al answered the phone call from the school that morning about school letting out early due to the snow, he thought for a moment...Then when had a chance to speak among the other parents on the party line, he requested to school secretary, Rita Fox, "This is Albert Rhonson Coyote. If you would, have our cubs meet us there at the school. We're going to be picking them up to go sled riding". After Al hung up the phone, "Marge asked, "That must have been the school calling to let us know they're getting out early". "That it was. And school will be out for tomorrow too", Al answered, then suggested to Marge. "I thought this would be a good time to let the cubs go sled riding". "Oh hey. Good thinking, Al", Marge said as she and Al proceeded to get the sleds from out of the garage... ...One sled was a 'Flexible Flyer', and the other one an 'American Flyer', which were the kind of sleds that have the steel runners and wooden deck, and you can steer them with your feet on a wooden crossbar...or with your paws on the crossbar if you were laying on your belly on the sled. https://www.google.com/search?q=american+flyer+sled+196...: Al mentioned, "It's suppose to warm up by Friday and the snow will be gone by then". Al and Marge then loaded the sleds into the trunk of their Chrysler 300, with the trunk lid held down with a piece of rope...Then it off to pick up the cubs up at school. When school let out a half hour before noon, Jed, Rex, Clarence and Donna wasted no time going out to meet Mom and Dad at the parking lot. Because of snowy conditions which were by now on the roads, Al and Marge had arrived only minutes before school let out. After all, It makes no difference how fast and powerful a car is when there's snow on the roads...And as Al, Marge and the cubs looked over toward the high school, it was obvious a few teens still insisted on driving like dare devils pulling out onto the snow covered street...The skunk with the 1930s modified hot rod almost lost control fishtailing on the snow...The family noticed Danny Otter had halfway good control of that Golden Hawk as he went flying out of the high school parking lot. Danny seemed to be a skilled driver, but still drove like a nut...Then the big, Gotham gold colour, 1959 Cadillac came flying out onto the street, but got out of control as it went sliding down the street all the way around into almost a complete 360 degree spin, then slid to a stop sideways across both lanes of the street. "Isn't that Biff and Richie's daddy's car?", Al asked. "Yea it is", Jed answered. "And Biff driving". "Gaston rides with them too", Rex added. Marge stated, "What ever he was trying to prove, he sure didn't prove he was a skilled driver". "That damn, five thousand pound Cadillac could be a deadly missile in the paws of that young pit bull", Al mentioned as Biff was straightening the Cadillac up to continue down the street. Jed, Rex and Clarence then piled into back of that Chrysler 300, with Al, Marge and Donna then getting in up front, then it was off from the school as Al and Marge took the cubs out to a hilly area not far from Estancia to ride the sleds. There on the snowy hillsides, the cubs had a ball riding those sleds down the hills...Al and Marge occasionally took a turn riding a sled down the hill for old times. Marge even got video of the cubs riding the sleds with their 8mm, Revere, movie camera she brought along...The camera didn't need batteries. It was the kind that ran from a spring that had to be occasionally wound up. https://www.google.com/search?q=revere+movie+camera+195...: They stayed out there having fun until it was getting to be sun down before they loaded up the sleds in the trunk and headed back home. There was no homework assigned for the snow days off, so once the family returned home after dark, the cubs played with their 027 scale trains on the train board in the large recreation room until bed time...Al and Marge even ran some of the 027 scale trains for a little bit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mCX8Lt06qA
______________________________ Thursday, February 25th Horizon Innovations was back to business as usual on that following Thursday that school was still out. On the way to work that morning, Al took the way going along highways 54 and 60 so he can drive by to the Sander's Mercantile Store in Vaughn to drop the movie film off to be sent out to be developed. Later that day, after Al got home from work, there was still a lot of snow left, so the family went back out late that afternoon, till early evening, for more sled riding...The forecast for Friday called for it to get up to the low 50s, thus the snow would be pretty much melted away by then.
______________________________ Monday, February 29th The Monday following the weekend, the developed movie film was ready for pick-up at Sander's Mercantile in Vaughn. That day started out at freezing right at 32 degrees, then later warmed warmed up to the lower 50s. However, it was a day that started out with some snow, then later becoming rain and drizzle. Thus, Before Al returned from work with the developed home movies, the cubs did some drawing with the drawing tablet and laptop...But then Clarence noticed something strange...It was February 29th, but the date read out in the lower right corner of the laptop screen read 3/1/2018. Clarence, or any of the other cubs were not able to figure why the date read out went ahead by a day. "The date got off on my laptop", Clarence told Marge. "Being from the time you came from, it would read 2018", Marge said to Clarence. "But it's also reading March the 1st", Jed told Marge after taking a look at it and saw it was 3/1/2018. "That's tomorrow", said Rex. "Well...tomorrow in 2018". The read out for the time of day has always been correct though...That's because the trip through time Clarence took placed him in the same time of day in 1960 as the time of day he left in 2018...Thus an offset in the time of day could not have possibly had anything to do with it, as there was no offset in the time of day...Besides, if it had been, it would have been noticed long before now. "We'll let your dad have a look at it then", Marge assured the cubs. When Al got home from work, the cubs were excited about looking forward to seeing the home movies of the sled riding...Marge and the cubs did tell Al about the date read out skipping a day on Clarence's laptop. The reason for it was quite simple, as Al was able to explain...Clarence's laptop didn't recognize 2018 as a leap year, which 2018 was not. Because 1960 was a leap year, February still had one more day to go when the laptop already recognized the date as being March 1st, 2018. Al did point out that, "If this laptop just continued to go through the years from the present on to the 21st Century, instead of getting there by means of time travel, that date read out would right itself on March 1st, 1962, which 1962 will not be a leap year, but the laptop will recognize it as being 2020, which will be a leap year...Then it would be off again on February 29th, 1964 like it is now". Al even had Clarence power up his cell phone (which hadn't been turned on since the 9th, the day he arrived to 1960), and sure enough, after the phone booted up, the date on the phone also read 03/01/2018...and of course with the display, 'Searching for Signal'. ...Simple enough. The cubs then saved their artwork on a flashdrive, the laptop and drawing tablet was put up, then Al and Marge then set up the movie projector... . https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1366&bi...: ...and portable reflective screen in the living room. https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1366&bi...: Then the cubs had half as much fun watching the home movies, and reliving those moments riding the sleds, as they did the day they actually rode them (There was no audio...just the sound of the projector that sounded much like a sewing machine). This also prompted a practice in which the family thought was a good idea...Al and Marge would buy some more 8mm movie film, and make it a point to frequently take movie film videos of things and places the family takes for granted, but is not around in 2018 according to what Clarence has told them. Then have the movie film developed...That way, providing Clarence can get back to 2018, he can have some movie archives of 1960 he can take back with him". "I'm sure there might still be some eight milometer projectors still kicking around by the year 2018", Al suggested. "And when I get back, I'll get them transferred to digital media, then I can upload them to Youtube", Clarence said, as the family by now knew what Clarence was talking about. "Wow! Cool! A whole buncha animals will see it then", Jed exclaimed. "I wish we had Youtube and internet in this day and time", Rex exclaimed. "I'm sure by the time you are in your 50s or 60s, you'll see it", Al assured Rex. "And we might meet up with you by then, Clarence", Donna said. "You'll be a cub, and we'll be grown ups". The statement Donna just made got Al and Marge thinking about that affectionate attraction going on between Cheryl and Clarence with Clarence being from the future...Al and Marge knew that Frank and Wanda should know what is going on...But how to go about telling them was the big question
School gets out early due to snow. Biff Pit-bull has more detention time. Clarence's laptop skips a day.
Disclaimer: It is unknown as to the actual extent of snow there was in Torrence County, New Mexico on February 24th, 1960...Although the records kept by The Farmer's Almanac do indicate there was snow in Torrence County on 02/24/1960, which that day started out at 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
That's one good thing about "Snow Day": no school - or work - that day. Too bad I'm cold-natured.
And it's a coincidence you mentioned the brand "Revere". That was the brand of my grandmother's 8mm movie projector. It was a Model 95, and you'd have to go to a speciality store to get the replacement bulbs.
That's one good thing about "Snow Day": no school - or work - that day. Too bad I'm cold-natured.
