Snow daze

It would be an ill wind that blew nobody some good, and this recent snowstorm wasn’t just about fender benders, high-centered commuters and collapsing roofs. It was also about fun in the snow, galoshes and snow days. At least that’s what 11-year-old Kim Haskell says, as he escapes a day of lessons at Mount Rose Elementary School.

Are you from Reno?

We moved here in August. We came from Boise, Idaho.

Did you get a lot of snow in Boise?

Not as much as here.

Is this the most snow you’ve ever seen?

Yeah.

What’s the coolest thing about this snow?

That my dad gets to stay home.

Your dad gets to stay home? What’s he do?

He’s a band teacher at Reno High.

My girlfriend gets to stay home. Everybody is home but me, and I have to work.

Cool. Not for you, though.

What have you been doing with your time?

If it’s so cold that I can’t go outside, I usually play with Legos. The other day, I jumped off the trampoline and got my arm stuck in the snow. The ice pulled up my coat sleeve and my regular shirt sleeve so it was my bare arm stuck in there.

How’d you get it out?

I yanked it really hard.

That sounds exciting.

It was.

What else have you been doing?

We built a fort the other day. It’s melted down. It was sort of cool, but I wanted my dad to try it out.

Have you helped your dad shovel the walk?

A little bit. We’ve been sledding down the hill over by our house.

Did you build a snowman?

Yes, and we put him on top of our fort. When it melted, the snowman fell on top of the fort.

Have there been any disadvantages to all this stuff?

Icy streets are really dangerous. The carport—since it’s snowed so much—I heard on the news that the car ports were just crashing down so I’m afraid to go underneath it to get to our backyard.

I noticed your carport seems to have a little bow in it.

We park one car in the garage and the other under there, so we have a way out.

Is it true you’ve been wearing snowpants this whole time?

I’m just always ready to go outside. They say take the trash out, I run out. I’m always ready.

If you were a little bit older, would you want to drive one of those snowplows?

Yeah.

Have you seen any heavy equipment out there that you’d like to try out?

Those big plows and those snowblowers. They get all the fun.