Let it SNOW!

Truth be told, I never used to be a snow person.  As a kid I would have the occasional snow day off from school, but on those same days, I'd have to go out and shovel with my mom and grandfather--there were no friends or siblings to play with me in the white stuff afterwards.

Fast forward to my adult years, and snow became both beautiful and inconvenient.  It was beautiful to see our landscape changed into a wintery wonderland, but snow also meant cold, ice, treacherous driving conditions, and being stuck indoors.

When Little Lewie was born, snow became magical.  I finally had someone to play with me in the snow!  Hubby, Little Lewie, and I would sled, have snowball fights, and make snow angels.  We did this for years (on our days off from work) until the magic stopped.  Mother nature would either deliver us snow one day and then melt it the next, or we didn't get any.  During the last two years, the only way we could enjoy the white stuff would be to seek it out.  Hubby, Little Lewie, and I would venture 90 minutes north to a ski resort that made the white stuff just so we could enjoy a fun day of snowtubing.

This winter was trending to be the same...a dry December and January with almost 40 degree temperatures meant another boring year of waiting for spring.  Without snow, winter had simply lost its charm... And then came February...

February 1and 2nd brought 12 inches of snow; then a week later, there was another 10 inches.  The pandemic made it so that there were no more snow days.  Little Lewie's teachers would conduct lessons from home via Google Meet, and I'd still have my virtual work meetings, but being home meant we could still sneak in a walk in the snow or some sledding down the street.  Without the commute, enjoying the snow was possible during lunch and even after work hours (the sun isn't setting now until almost 5:30).

All I can say is "Let it Snow!"  For the first time in my life, I've been taking regular hikes in the snow and loving every moment of it.  Our puppy Bruce (who loves the white stuff) always comes with me, and once or twice a week, I get hubby and Little Lewie to join me, too.  Our walks have been breathtakingly beautiful, and it has been so much fun to watch this little pup play in the snow.  Speaking of playing, we even had a chance to go snowshoeing for our very first time as a family.  Before this winter, Little Lewie didn't even know what a snowshoe was...now, he's seen tons of people with snowshoes on our walks, and he's even tried it out for himself.  We all loved it so much, we're considering buying some...

Today as I write this, it's raining outside.  Other states that are not used to snow, like Texas and Louisiana, are getting snow and ice (causing terrible power outages).  The weather patterns are crazy. I'm not sure if this is the last of our winter wonderland here in CT or if we have another week or two to enjoy it, but I'm hoping for the latter.  During one of my last hikes, I realized how much more I love to walk in the snow--the fresh air, the quiet, the beauty.  (I'd take it over mosquitos, ticks, poison ivy, and humidity any day of the week.)  

Our winter of 2021 will go down in history as the year we truly enjoyed this season and all of its glory.  Staying home during the pandemic helped me understand its simple, understated pleasures even more.  There's another rain/snowstorm in the forecast this Thursday...  These last few pictures will demonstrate exactly why I'm hoping it's a snowstorm that is on its way...