If it’s Tuesday, there must be snow, sleet, freezing rain or combinations thereof falling somewhere in eastern North Carolina.

I’ve heard about weather patterns, but I did not know that meant that for the past three Tuesdays some form of precipitation (usually frozen) would be in the forecast. As much as I love snow cream — those who know me best know I love my snow cream — enough already with the snow … and sleet … and freezing rain … and iced-over roads.

Professionally, I love covering severe weather events like the winter storms that have plowed through the area in the past several weeks. Personally, I’m starting to get cabin fever — if one can get cabin fever in a newsroom. I would take another trip to Florida, but freezing temperatures followed me there while I was visiting my hometown the third week in January.

Thank goodness the bad weather held off Tuesday morning. I was worried about Denise Dale, the town clerk for Washington Park. Tom Richter, the town’s mayor, called me just before he left for Florida to inform me she would be driving the town’s garbage truck Tuesday morning. He told me Brian Wood, the town’s public-works supervisor, was in the hospital suffering from the flu or some similar ailment. That meant he would not be able to drive the garbage truck, which makes rounds Tuesdays and Fridays.

So, if any of you readers saw a woman driving a garbage truck in Washington Park on Tuesday, you were not seeing things. It was just the town clerk going above and beyond the scope of her duties. Municipal clerks do that all the time. Just ask them.

And you school children who have learned that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction, heed this: for every snow day away from school, there is an opposite and (not always) equal make-up day at school. If the kiddies have any more snow days, there likely will be some parents who will need several “snow days” to recover from their children’s snow days spent at home.

Winter is far from over. We may have more winter storms headed our way.

But with this pattern that seems to be developing, we will know to go get that bread, milk and other winter-storm staples on Monday nights.

While it’s snowing, pass the snow cream, please.

Mike Voss is the senior member of the newsroom at the Washington Daily News.