April 21st and I think Spring has finally arrived! All in all it was not an overly snowy winter. In fact, I was wishing for snow back in December, January and February so I could enjoy cross country skiing. Then April came. It came in like a lion (confused with March) and stayed for the first 2 1/2 weeks like a lion lost in the Serengeti. First we had a few inches, then a week later we had another 5 inches fall and within two days we had another 6 inches. With the second storm causing it to snow all weekend I chose denial and hibernation as my coping mechanisms. I told my kids we weren’t going anywhere and got rather comfy in my fleece pajamas.
Then something happened that weekend that I’d never experienced before. The snowstorm seemed to last forever, not only because it snowed for two days and a half days straight, but also because Father Time had already extended the clock and sun to spring time. So, there I was all weekend making the same comment over and over, “It’s that late already?” When it snows in the winter the days are shorter and night falls well before my children’s bedtime. In the spring, it stays light until after 8:00 and even at dusk it seems lighter because of the reflection of the streetlight on the bright white snow. On Monday night at 8:00 pm, long after the snow finally stopped, I found myself leaving a dinner out with friends, walking to my car, pausing and thinking, “wow, it’s bright out; both in the sky and on the ground!” For that one moment I pretended I lived in Alaska and thought…snow in the spring can be beautiful.
Then Wednesday, April 18th happened and another 6 inches of snow fell! That evening around 5:00 I watched my 14 year old son playing in the snow, really playing in the snow….and thought, “I better go outside and play with him while I have the chance.” That evening a 10 foot snow giant was born! Within 24 hours he was reduced to a giant snowball after the spring sun caused both his head and torso to topple off. But for two hours the night before as a family we laughed, challenged ourselves and made a great memory that will be forever remembered in a photograph. I will print the photo, and like a few others I have in frames they will come out with the holiday decorations and stay displayed for the winter….unlike the others however, this one will stay out well into the spring :)
Then something happened that weekend that I’d never experienced before. The snowstorm seemed to last forever, not only because it snowed for two days and a half days straight, but also because Father Time had already extended the clock and sun to spring time. So, there I was all weekend making the same comment over and over, “It’s that late already?” When it snows in the winter the days are shorter and night falls well before my children’s bedtime. In the spring, it stays light until after 8:00 and even at dusk it seems lighter because of the reflection of the streetlight on the bright white snow. On Monday night at 8:00 pm, long after the snow finally stopped, I found myself leaving a dinner out with friends, walking to my car, pausing and thinking, “wow, it’s bright out; both in the sky and on the ground!” For that one moment I pretended I lived in Alaska and thought…snow in the spring can be beautiful.
Then Wednesday, April 18th happened and another 6 inches of snow fell! That evening around 5:00 I watched my 14 year old son playing in the snow, really playing in the snow….and thought, “I better go outside and play with him while I have the chance.” That evening a 10 foot snow giant was born! Within 24 hours he was reduced to a giant snowball after the spring sun caused both his head and torso to topple off. But for two hours the night before as a family we laughed, challenged ourselves and made a great memory that will be forever remembered in a photograph. I will print the photo, and like a few others I have in frames they will come out with the holiday decorations and stay displayed for the winter….unlike the others however, this one will stay out well into the spring :)
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| Frosty the Giant Snowman |
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