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The Big Snow

John comes into our bedroom after midnight. "It's snowing!"

We have a hard time working up much enthusiasm on account of the late hour and the fact that southern snow is just a tease. We're New Yorkers and haven't seen a good snow in all the years we've lived south of Mr. Mason Dixson. "Go back to bed," Stuart grumbles at John and we scooch together and sleep.

This morning, I feel around the nightstand for glasses and stumble groggy from bedroom past white windows. White. Snow stayed and piled up. Piled up.


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"Stuart! Stuart!" I shake him frantically out of sleep. Get the camera! It snowed! I'm going to wake up kids." He looks at me with squinty eyes like I've lost my mind but moves quick for one woken rudely out of sound sleep.

The kids pile out of their beds and put on woefully inadequate snowgear; they wade into snow and troll puddles for it has rained nearly half a foot in the last few days. They forgo breakfast for time is short. The Sunday morning stillness is trampled by noisy pelters flinging balls and sculpting white. A snowman! Charlie has never seen this much snow and Claire doesn't remember Rhode Island winters.



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All too soon, it is time to come in, sop out of wet clothes and bemoan the fact that no one has any dry shoes. We go to church where kids shuck wet footwear and when we come out again the snow is gone but there is no sorrow because this morning there was snow. Packing, perfect snow.


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Comments

tammi said…
You. are. WELCOME!

Now... Could I interest you in some of our cold, too?
I'm laughing because our "snow gear" was woefully inadequate as well back in December. But, like your group, it didn't slow them down a bit!!

I think snow is so much more fun in the south because we never get used to it! It's amazing, beautiful and magical every, single time we see it.

Xandra
40winkzzz said…
Wow, what a treat for your family!

Interestingly, you have snow and we don't. Last time we had no snow on the ground, perhaps 3-4 weeks ago, my cousin in Arizona emailed pics of himself & his kids with their snowman. It would seem that every so God gives us northerners a break and redirects our snow to you southerners for a day or two.

Snow or not, it's still COLD here. We may actually get above-freezing temps at some point this week, though.
40winkzzz said…
PS- After reading here, my next stop was the blog of another southern friend (somewhere in GA)-- who posted about the very same thing. No snowmen in her pics, but she, like you, started the pics with one of a snow-covered fence. It was a bit deja-vuey. :-)
Sarah said…
YEAH! I'm glad you got some snow. It just takes a little to get the feeling that something magical has happened all around you outdoors. And, hands down, snow trumps rain any day!

sem
God's girl said…
How fun!!!
MUch love,
Angela
Alana said…
I do love a great snow day! Great pictures!
Mary@notbefore7 said…
YIPPEE! Nothing like a good snow day of fun! So glad some was sent your way :)
40winkzzz said…
RYC- Wow, you didn't waste any time getting those Venezia books! Aren't they fun? There's a pretty good chance we'd never have gone to the Art Inst of Chicago were it not for Mike Venezia, as it has been his books that have really fed the flame for my kids. (And ironically, he graduated from the AIC school.) We read a few other good ones, but his books are the ones that make them want to read about every artist they can.

Sounds like your kids are enjoying them, too. There's nothing quite like a box (or a library stack) of new books to create a new interest!

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