We’ve had some wonderful blissful snowfalls lately. The one yesterday morning literally looked like tufts of cotton everywhere, and was just as easy to brush off the cars.
Dave took the snow this weekend and used the snowblower to make a mound in the side yard, then the boys piled as much snow as they could on top. We’ve got a pretty good hill going on there right now (made more exciting by perching the slide on top of it).
You’ll notice that I took this photo from inside, and if you have crazy eagle-sharp vision, you may notice that it was 25 degrees, which is warm enough in these here parts not to warrant wimping out and staying inside. I’ll have you know that we were doing the thing where we try to maximize adult usefulness — while Dave cleared the snow off the driveway, I cleaned up inside and waited for Zuzu to wake up from her nap, and stayed away from the chocolate drawer.
Then we went sledding. Below you see Dave and Henry about to go down the hill. Henry is in his perpetual tongue-out snow expression. You’d think we never give him water or something. I think he eats pounds of snow every day.
Of course, half the reason for sledding is to tire the kids out by making them walk back up the hill:
And here’s Henry yesterday morning, as we set out on our walk to school. I think it’s really fun to walk to school with the big fluffy movie-set flakes coming down. I seemed more into it than they did, but I think it’s because they just wanted to stay in the yard and play on the big mound of snow.
I am also excited to report that they are taking the kindergartners snowshoeing for an hour this morning. Another reason we live in Maine: snowshoeing is a legitimate school activity.
We experienced our first snow in 3 years this December(and the girls’ witnessed their first snow ever-we don’t count the December when they were 3 months old in Chicago), and I realized that my body is in snow-shoveling atrophy. I am actually in better shape now than when we lived in Chicago, but when it came time to shovel snow at my Mom’s or my Father -in-law’s, I was suddenly 95 years old.And I remembered that I could handle shoveling when we were in Chicago…And it made me a little sad. I’m better now…but still.
There’s something about trying to break up and shovel thick ice with an inadequate shovel that makes you feel like a complete geezer. That and watching two minutes of anything on MTV. Ech.
Apparently snowshoeing has become a very popular phys ed activity in many of the snowy areas of the country — at least, according to the health and phys ed teacher’s convention I went to two years ago. I wish we’d had it when I was in school. It sounds way more fun than staring dolefully up a rope that I had no chance in hell of being able to climb, or having to square dance with any one of the boys in my class.
I’m pretty sure I would have hated anything presented to me in phys ed, unless they could have gussied up “curled in the corner with a book” as a cardiovascular activity. I definitely appreciate it now, though, and am hoping that Henry is all snowshoe gung-ho and maybe we can justify getting snowshoes for everyone. (Funny: he totally didn’t understand the concept of “snowshoe” because he was thinking it was “winter boots” and couldn’t get what I meant when I said that none of us had snowshoes, and then my ridiculous explanation, based on the fact that I don’t think he knows what a tennis racket is, as “sort of like a frying pan” didn’t help at all.)
And as far as shoveling: it’s often the only exercise I get, and here in Maine it’s definitely a family affair (plus we have a snowblower for the driveway, which I LOVE using), so I know think it’s kind of fun. But you have to have the good shovels. And the ice: I’ve found there’s nothing quite so satisfying as going out with a giant heavy hoe-like thing that everyone has here (also handy for cutting roots in deep holes, and tamping down ground with the non-cutting edge) and chipping away at the ice in your driveway.
all of nyc is covered in a thick blob of ice, which everyone salts to death, so wylie and I have been walking home looking for treacherous, crunchy, ice-covered snow to walk through and over. it takes us like an hour and a half to get home, but again, only excercise now so…
Today is total Ice World here in Maine, as well. Yesterday was 32.5 degrees, which apparently caused enough of a melting for today to be all about ice. I honestly wish there was a bit more salting. Or sanding, at least. Or something other than the guy I saw today spreading clumping cat litter on his driveway.