I remember… Looking out the window in the morning and watching snow fall accumulating at the base of trees and in the nooks of the shrubs in our gardens… I listened for the sound of the plows clearing the streets… and the absence of that scraping noise meant that the storm was in its early stages and the plows would be busy in other parts of the city.
The joy of no school… or even as an adult not being able to go to work, could not be contained. Check the news for a sense of how much more snow would fall… please let it go for 36 hrs or more!
Nothing to do but have fun! The last time I had this joy was when we were living at Sunrise Hill Condos… Zack was a toddler, and the entire condo community was “house bound”. We enjoy a big breakfast… had to bulk up for later shoveling.
The snow lessens and I put on my gear and begin to attack the white stuff with my shovel… the snow has to be piled up in careful mounds because of the tightness of space in the complex. Shovel… shovel & shovel — it’s cold but I am cutting a sweat and have developed a big time thirst… I fetch 3 beers and plunge them into my created snow bank. After finishing our area, I pitch in to dig out 2 other older neighbors… and those beers slide down as well as any I have ever had during the heat of a summer day.
The snow subsides and Zack emerges from the home looking like a stuffed “Pillsbury Dough Boy” done up in blue with a red tartan scarf for a bit of panache. Time to put down the shovel, and take up some serious sledding down the street in front of our condo. At first shy, Zack warms up to his first real “downhill” experience; but he prefers to take his shovel and dig about the drifts.
He is replaced on my downhill runs by Barney my Keeshond who runs along the side of the sled and then hops on my back piggy-back, and finishes the run to the base of hill. Cloris my other Keeshond prefers to remain at the top of the hill with Zack & Ellen.
Hot & sweaty from all the activity… I go back inside. Take off all my wet clothes… a wonderful hot shower, and then into some fresh dry clothes… put on a fire… some hot cocoa and lie on the couch looking for a suitable “snowy day” show to watch on TV… and then story time for Zack & we both take afternoon naps.
We combine with neighbors for an impromptu cocktail party… bring whatever you have… lets hang out until the kids have to go to sleep…
Exhausted… happy from the day… oh please… let’s have another storm so we can enjoy another day just like this one.
Oh yes, I remember