Flurries dance outside my windows. Like a child, I am eagerly watching them stick to the ground. I am hopeful inches will accumulate for worthwhile playtime in the chilly air.
Flashbacks from childhood in my parent’s backyard play in my head. I see longtime friends — still at ages 6-11 — sledding and skiing down our “bunny” hill. Snowballs zing through the air. School work and classes escape our thoughts for a couple hours of friendly, neighborhood snow wars. Then, there are the scenes from the dormant veggie garden that served as an ice rink for several years. No one paid for ice time to perfect hat tricks, figure-eights or crack-the-whip skills.
For those of you who follow national weather news, the suburbs just north of the “D” have been without significant snowfall during much of this winter season. Christmas Day looked and felt more like Easter with bright sunshine and 40-plus temperatures. Then, two weeks ago I played 3-on-3 with some girlfriends and their children; outside on the driveway; with temps near 50. That’s unheard of in early January.
We have been loving this flirtation with spring-like weather. But, when I heard my neighbor rev his ride-on mower, I new something as amiss in the Mitten. I started to long for the crisp, cold air; and the snow. What if this was the winter without a snowman, sledding or taste-testing snowflakes?
Despite my fantasies about living it up in some tropical locale all winter long, I don’t think that scenario would ever last in reality. Don’t get me wrong. I get cabin-fever crazed like most of my neighbors; and plot escapes to the tropics. But, just the same, I have lived in the north since birth. I have adapted to finding outdoor fun in all four seasons.
There is fun to be had when the snow flies that just isn’t existent in the Bahamas or Hawaii. Also, my love for spicy rum isn’t limited to spiking smoothies, cola or juice. It’s a fantastic additive to warm-up drinks such as hot cider, chocolate and coffee.
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Kate Parish 