Here it is January and I haven't posted in forever! I have
not written much at all in fact. I have been missing it. It is time
to be the she bear and hunker down and write. I sit here with a great cup
of tea, sun is out, birds are feeding like crazy, and dogs are tired out from
playing in the snow. I am capturing some words. These words were inspired
in a roundabout way. Yesterday while visiting a client, I noticed the
snow in her driveway was in odd shapes and crystals were evident growing out of
those shapes. It has been very cold, then we got snow, then it warmed and
got cold again. The recipe for snow crystals. They were magical and
I kind of got lost in them. They were lacy and delicate and in various shapes and sizes. The images were quite captivating and unusual - magical even- as the sun shone through them. She wondered what I found so interesting in
her driveway and smiled when I told her! Those crystals conjured up so many
memories of snow and winter. You see, we haven't really had much snow in
recent years.
The first memories were those of a child,
a very young child with a bulky gray snowsuit, pink mittens and big old bulky
boots. I distinctly remember feeling like an overstuffed chair in this
get up, but it kept me warm. I remember struggling through the snow that was
almost as high as I was. I remember the scent of fresh snow, the
freshness of it. I remember eating snow cones I made in my hands and then I was
left with wet, mittens that had that horrible wet wool smell. I clearly remember
sledding down the hill in the back yard, over and over again and just loving
the feeling of freedom. Later I remember creating igloos with my brother.
We had a mold that was a plastic rectangle with a handle into which we packed snow and it popped out as a snow brick. We crafted marvelous
structures with this. We thought we were amazing engineers! That was back when we got snow!
There were times that as a young teen we
would pack into someone’s car (parents would drive of course) and head to Big
Blue...the great tobogganing hill up in Milton. It is a wonder we didn't
maim ourselves for life we were so reckless and fearless. But, we did
have fun. My best friend Barbara went into the convent (Sisters of St.
Joseph) and continued her tobogganing at the motherhouse. She ended up
with forty some odd stitches in one leg as a result. I believe the nuns
suggested a more sedate winter activity to her after that.
I remember later as a teen and young adult
disliking driving in snow but loving to walk in it. The winter of 1969 I
was living in the little coastal town (really a fishing village) of Wickford, RI.
It snowed and snowed that winter. We lived in a tiny little cottage
snug and warm up on a hill. The entire town became enveloped with snow.
We were living in a snow globe! I was pregnant with my first son and my
husband and I went out after the snow stopped falling. We shoveled our
walkway and headed into town which was only a short distance away. There
were no vehicles out at all but many of the people of the village were also out
walking! It was magical. We saw people we hadn't seen in months and
probably wouldn't see again soon. Everyone was in good spirits and friendly.
Winter by the sea, a study in white.
My next real strong memory of winter is
when my sons were young. Michael my oldest and I used to sled together
and of course make many snowmen and then share hot chocolate. We lived
way out in the country then in West Greenwich and often we would walk through
the woods in search of animal tracks and try to identify them. Those were
magical times too, returning home again to hot chocolate, cookies -cheeks pink
- reading books snuggled under a quilt. He grew and enjoyed sledding with
friends on that same gentle hill.
The two younger boys came along and there
are many sweet snow memories with them.
I remember the first time David, my middle
one, touched snow! He was probably six months old and screamed when he
touched it. He didn't like the cold. Another memory that stands out
is putting an old wooden crate well anchored on top of the sled, an old Flexible Flyer. Putting
a pillow or two inside and tucking David in with blankets to be pulled down our
dirt road (now snow packed) under a brilliant full moon. Warm spiced cider
followed when we got home and of course books and bed.
Soon thereafter his brother Bill had
arrived. He was much more excited about the snow. His dad had an
old Scout International and plowed snow. By the time Bill was three,
whenever it snowed, he would grab his snowsuit and boots. He couldn't put
the snowsuit on unassisted but he did put his boots on first. This
occasioned many laughs around putting the snowsuit on. Their Auntie
Barbara had made both boys backpacks with their names on them. Bill would
always grab his and I would pack it with snacks for the trip with Dad to plow
snow.
Many years passed with only vague memories
of shoveling, sniveling, and getting stuck, sometimes in my own driveway.
The years have a way of passing. My next really strong memory is
the winter of 1999 that I spent down at the Stage Coach Stop...alone...in a
travel trailer. That winter was spectacular. We got snow, snow and
more snow. I would sit with a dog on either side of me and watch the
storm play, dump, move in and out. It was really an amazing winter. We
had no snowplow down there until long after the sun was out but my friend
Valetta who had a Dodge Ram Dually would drive up and down the driveway to make
tracks for me to follow in my little Toyota Tercel, when I finally had to go
out.
Probably about eight years ago Robert and
I went for a great moonlight walk after a big snow. We made it up the
road a little ways and decided to make snowmen. We made three of them
along the S curve in our road. They stood for weeks. Winter sentinels. That was great fun. We were like kids that winter.
Winter has finally decided to return and
we have had snow again. Yes, I shoveled, and shoveled but it was light
and actually a bit disappointing...too dry to make a snowman. After the
weather warmed a bit I discovered it was wet enough to stick so the dogs and I
made a snowman in our yard and dressed him.
So happy winter has returned. Now,
how many days ‘til spring?
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