Our Last Six Weeks of Winter

On February 2, Chuckles, our State Groundhog, predicted six more weeks of winter.  My mom and son groaned while secretly inside, I rejoiced.  I was never a fan of winter, but once we adopted Bruce, my opinion changed.  Taking him for walks in the snow means no bugs, no mud, no poison ivy, no ticks, no sunblock, and no insect repellant--just a coat, boots, hat, and gloves (and maybe some hand warmers). 

During these last six weeks, I was able to get about six "snow walks"--some on a trail and some in the neighborhood.  I also managed to take my son sledding once and snow tubing once.  We didn't get to spend nearly the same amount of time outside as we did last year during the COVID lockdown, but we managed to have a few fun winter days.  Even today, on March 9th, we had a delightful covering of the white stuff--it wasn't enough to go sledding, but it was beautiful to watch while simultaneously listening to the birds chattering in the background.  I'm guessing it may be our last winter scene for a while.

Here are some of my favorite photos from these last "six weeks of winter:"

The weekend before Valentine's Day, Hubby and I took a trip up to the Berkshires and stayed overnight.  We found this random country road to take an awesome walk to nowhere in particular.

My hiking buddy, Bruce, who LOVES to play and explore in the snow.

Oh snowy day!!

A magical day of exploring our hometown park, Matthies Park.

Besides quiet walks on glimmering white paths, we had some other fun, too. I was able to get Lewie together with some of his friends after waiting patiently for the Omicron surge to slow down.  On one weekend, he had a day of bowling and another, a day of snow tubing.  Our snow tubing adventure was similar to years past but with a twist.  Hubby couldn't go because of neck issues, so we invited a second friend to come with us.  The boys had a blast!  (Of course, the whole time they were enjoying the snow, they were reminiscing about summer.  "I can't wait until summer, so we can have our sleepovers and bike rides again," said one of Lewie's friends.  Another chimed in about how he couldn't wait to go "night swimming" again.  I couldn't stop smiling--these are the good times thirteen/fourteen-year-olds daydream about!)

  

Yes, Chuckles the Groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter, and he was right.  What he couldn't have predicted is how much fun we'd have spending time with friends, family, and Bruce on some of those cold, blustery days.  I'll look back on these pictures with joy in my heart.