The Strangeness of Winter Weather in the Spring Time

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 :)

Frosty the Giant Snowman

Winter Flooding

Since moving back north nearly 15 years ago I have appreciated and more recently learned to enjoy winter. After all, after six years in Alabama it was my choice to move back to four seasons. I don’t particularly like the frigid temperatures, but most of what I don’t like is the long nights and the shortened hours of sunlight that comes with them. The past few winters in my old house were not good for my mental health. I sincerely began to think that I had S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder). I’ve found that running through winter helps, it warms me up and gets me closer to the sun’s rays. But it was during these past few winters that my desire to move into a different house took flight and drove me to convince my husband that the time to move into a different house had finally arrived.

This time last year I looked at the house I am living in now for the first time. I instantly noticed and fell in love with the flooding of sunshine that poured (and continues to) through the many windows and the skylight. After we moved in on January 31 I found myself staring into the snow-covered woods out my back door in awe of mother nature. 

Between the few short weeks that have past since turning our clocks back an hour I instantly fell back into my dread of the approaching shortened days. Then last week it snowed! The ground was covered and the sun reflected off the beautiful white blanket that was laid on my yard and in the woods. MY house, the house I fell in love with 10 months ago opened itself up to the flood and I’ve found that this past week I’ve been breathing easier even on these cold winter days that have arrived much sooner than in the past. I can’t recall the last time I was this excited to see snow.

Favorite Photo Friday: River Commute

From September 2007 – December 2010 I commuted on average once a week 30 miles north along the Mississippi River Road. I was one year into being a mom of two children when I began the commute and I relished those peaceful drives along the Mighty Mississippi. I found sincere beauty in every season. It was two years ago on a Saturday morning that I decided to bring my camera and capture the beauty of the River in the winter.

Photo Taken by Daria Lapp. 2/14/10. Freight train traveling south along the frozen Mississippi River.

Weather: It’s all About Perspective

For my run this morning it was partly sunny and 41 degrees!!!!! Just this morning my kids were complaining a bit about the snow melting and they’ve only been sledding 2-3 times and skiing once. I felt their disappointment yet so appreciated the weather Mother Nature has given me to meet my goal of running outdoors for 12 months this year.

So, as I walked out the door with no winter hat, neck warmer, gloves or coat I took a deep breath of fresh air and smiled out pure joy for the warmth. Now, there may be many runners who have left the hat, gloves, neck warmer and coat behind when they’ve run thus far this winter, but not me. Although I have learned to appreciate all four seasons I hate being cold and it happens to me a lot.

I am known within my family for being cold. I can recall getting an electric blanket for Christmas one year and a pair of battery-operated warming socks another. Both of which I no longer have in my possession, but when I curl up, on, or under my heating pad at night it generally isn’t because of aches and pains, although occasionally it is.