Dear Diary

Today is a snow day. Its the first one of my career as a teacher. Not so much snow as a thick, nasty layer of ice. I'm not going anywhere for awhile. Anyone have a snickers?

So, let me tell you a story. This story begins a couple weeks ago, the Thursday before Veteren's Day. I had been out with the dogs, wearing my favorite pair of orange Skechers. I've had the shoes for years, I think since the summer after my senior year of high school. I stepped in some mud and mucked up my shoes pretty bad. I took them off and left them on the front porch, intending to clean them once the mud had dried.

Thursday afternoon, halfway to St. Louis with Donnie, I realized I had left my precious shoes on the front porch.

"Don't worry about it," Donnie reassured, "Its Crocker, no one is going to take them."

I reluctantly conceded.

I returned Sunday afternoon to find that my shoes had not been taken... just one of them. I was furious. At school the next day, I complained to my Yearbook class about the disappearance.

"A dog probably took it," Katie offered.

A dog? I'm used to apartment dwelling where the dogs aren't big enough to carry a shoe. Course in the apartments, both shoes would be gone, because someone would have taken 'em.

After a week or so, my anger subsided. I made the trip to the Lake and bought myself a brand new pair of Skechers. Lime green and black. I looked for bright blue but couldn't find a pair I liked. I've adjusted to the green shoes. I still miss the orange shoes.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving week. Katie comes into my classroom Monday morning giggling.

"Ms. Holt, we found your shoe! Its up on Highway 17 by Delano's."

My shoe has traveled halfway across town and is by one of the gas stations. I dismiss this as amusing and suggest that the kids pick it up if they get a chance. Everyone thinks the whole thing is funny.

I returned from my epic Thanksgiving break to find not one, but both of my orange Skechers on the front porch. One is fine save being muddy, the other has been chewed beyond function.

And I thought the story would end there.

Nope.

Tuesday morning, the chewed up Skecher is gone, and there is a blue New Balance sneaker in its place? Odd.

So I have done what any self respecting artist would do. I've encouraged the kids to keep up the lonely shoe collection. And I've starting hanging the shoes from a tree in my front yard. Right now, its just the Orange and the Blue (they are pieces of art now, and worthy of capitalization).

So it iced last night. I got a phone call at 6:15ish this morning. Snow day. Everything is coated in a clear layer of sparkle. Including Orange and Blue. With icicles.

So what's the moral of the story here?

Never, ever, ever leave your camera at school! I have a perfect picture hanging in my front yard, and I am unarmed.

Grrrr!