It's Here!

What's crunchy and cold and white - loved by few and dreaded by many?  Yeah....  you guessed it.  Snow.

It's here!  We woke this morning to our first snowfall.  I know that our nation's heartland received a foot of the stuff, but with our temperatures hovering around 32° - 33° we're getting a band of freezing rain mixed with wet snow this early morning.  What can I say?  It's that time of year!

Last week we took advantage of a break from all the rain we've been having and we finished putting away and securing all of our outdoor objects.  In preparation for winter, we drained our concrete birdbath, put away the bowl and covered the base.  My husband cleaned our gutters and prepared the lawn mowers for winter storage.  We stored away all of the lawn chairs, yard decorations and grill.  And hubby made sure the cars have all the proper fluids, good tires and snow scrapers.

Yet it seems like no matter how much we think we're prepared for winter, we're still not completely ready for it.  The older we get, the more we dislike having to get out and shovel and drive in the snow and ice.

Do you remember winter when you were a child?  If you were like me and lived in a snowy area, you couldn't wait for a "snow day" when school was closed.  Ironic I know - that school was closed because it was too snowy to venture out, yet we'd bundle in layer after layer of warm clothes and rush outside before it was light.  No matter where the mercury in the thermometer hovered, we wanted a full day of trudging through it, sledding and sliding over it, laying in it to make snow angels, balling it up for some fierce snow-ball fights, and creating very artistic snow-forts and snowmen (and snow-women).  Every now and then we'd even take up a snow shovel and clear our and our neighbor's driveways.  Oh the good old days!  We'd remain outside until we couldn't feel our fingers and toes or until darkness fell - whichever came first.  I can still hear my Mom yelling from the other room, "Don't walk on the carpet, stay by the door to get your snowy clothes off!"

Then smiling with rosy, chapped faces, we'd sit at the kitchen table, wrap our tingling fingers around a cup of hot chocolate (with marshmallows if we had them), and inhale the warm, cocoa steam.  Aaaaahhhhh.....  The days when snow was FUN!  I confess that I miss the carefree times of childhood winters.

Today, the responsibilities of shoveling, digging out, scraping, de-icing and trying to safely walk and drive in the stuff have caused snow to completely lose its appeal.  At my age I really don't think it would be wise for me to try to recapture that childhood winter fun.  My neighbors would call the authorities if they looked out their windows to find me throwing myself in my yard flailing around making snow angels.  Not a good idea.  I guess I have to settle for the fact that although I think the first snow is very pretty, I really dread that it signals the realization that we'll now have to deal with it in varying forms and measurements for the next four months.  Because - it's here!  Argh.

What about you?  Did you get any of this first snow?  How much did you get?  How do you deal with winter?  

Wishing you blessings and warmth (and hot chocolate)!

Deb