Its so FLUFFY!

  When I was a little girl, the idea of snow and snowstorms made me absolutely giddy! I would pull on my snow pants, jacket, boots, hat and mittens and head out to explore my yard that transformed into a whole new landscape with the addition of snow.  Building snowman was a must!
I grew up in a neighborhood that was filled with kids. Every house harbored anywhere from 1 to 5 kids ensuring one would never lack for a playmate.
One such house, sat on up on a hill and abutted a neighboring house behind it that was up on yet another hill.  I do know that we also used it as a shortcut to get to our elementary school.  We wore quite a groove in the yard with our comings and goings. On winter days, the hill would be transformed into the perfect sledding spot. We would congregate on the hill with our sleds...the real wooden ones with red runners. We wore that hill of snow out until it became a hill of ice...and then it got interesting.

   I recall a time when someone had built a ramp at the bottom of the hill where the two yards met. Flying down the hill on your sled and hitting the ramp caused some interesting circumstances.. and injuries. We had an ice storm around this time and the hill was then a sheet of ice...no fun for trying to sled on...and then someone..was it Marcia? Joanne? Mark? Bob??? came up with a grand idea.... lots put on our ice skates and try it out! The idea that one could hit that ramp on skates and sail through the air was genius! Was it a success? Were there injuries? I remember falling and getting a bloody nose and it was lucky that Joanne's mom was a nurse so I was patched up quick and sent back out.  I don't recall anyone else bleeding or crying.  I do remember going back for more though and staying until it was to dark to see and we were all shivering in our wet winter clothing. 

Here in the North East, we have had a snow storm that has dumped anywhere from 5" to a foot and a half at least once a week.  My children, now teens, prefer not to go out exploring but would rather hole up with the typical winter survival gear... video games, movies and junk food. Me? I still walk around the yard or photo interesting aspects of it with its fresh coat of fluffy snow.  I've asked the kids to go build a snowman but they won't....so today, I stepped back into my 'little' self enjoying the sunny skies and mounds of snow, that just happen to be the perfect snowman building snow.......