Since I’ve been an adult, winter has been my least favorite time of year. So – this commentary is a stretch for me.
When I was a child I loved watching it snow. When it got to be too deep on the roof of the house, we kids went up there and slid off it. It was fun and it cleared the roof of snow. Shoveling was fun and so was measuring how deep were the drifts. We ran and slid on the ice in the road. Who could slide the longest?
We made snowmen, snow angels and snow forts. We threw snowballs and played at snowball wars. We went sledding and that was always a thrill. Especially on the toboggan if there were trees on the course! We ice skated. My Dad cleared an area in the back yard for an ice rink and we loved it.
Christmas was magic. Mom decorated the whole house, we had hot chocolate and popcorn as we helped her, and church was at midnight. We sang carols and when it snowed at 1 AM, it was wonderful.
Now?
I break my back while shoveling just so I can go to work the next morning. It adds to my chore list and usually in the dark after a work day. There are snow tires to put on the car. I must winterize the house, get the furnace and the gas fireplace surfaced and it all costs money.
Driving is necessary, but scary sliding down the hill in front of my house that provides a daily challenge to safety and the flowing traffic at the bottom. I wonder if I will make it back up the hill at the end of the day—so I can shovel again if there is another snowfall. Sometimes a loss of electricity, and therefore heat, must be contended with usually at night. There is not much to do but go to bed to keep warm, then.
Roofs have been known to collapse if there is too much snowfall. Someone must be hired to clear it off. I have considered doing it by myself, but it just doesn’t appeal to my aged body. I tried to ski once and was black and blue all down my left side for over a month afterwards.
When the snow starts to fall, my first thought is, “Oh—,” and not, “How beautiful!”
Let’s see—
When did I last make a snow angel? And though I have contemplated sliding off the roof, I’d probably break my back side.
It’s no good. Unless I can stay home by the fire when it snows and drink my warm tea and read a good book, I will still be taking on the spirit of Scrooge about winter. Bah! Humbug!
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