I'll Regret This in the Morning, But for Now: Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Michigan has had record snowfall this year, racking up as much in December as we generally do for most of the winter.  For my kids, this is a godsend.  NO SCHOOL!  ALREADY!  And I must admit that I enjoy those days off, too.  It’s a nice reprieve from the scheduled mayhem of our usual weekly routine.

Our weekly routine took another break over the holidays when, like many families, we traveled a long way to visit our extended family.  This year, it meant traveling through an ice storm that added 2+ hours to an already barely bearable 10-hour drive.  It also meant shuffling from Pennsylvania to Virginia, then back to Pennsylvania again (where we left our lab with my in-laws) before hauling back to Michigan.  Neither of those places had much snow, none really, and our boys were excited to get back to sledding and skiing and romping in the white stuff.

Alas, it was not to be.  The white stuff has all turned brown.  When the temperature rose, the ice storm we braved simply turned to rain, which melted away a good bit of our fun.  But the rain couldn’t possibly melt the massive amount we’ve had, so we’re left with a thin layer of snow heaped with stones and slush and sludge .  It’s even less enticing than it sounds.  If the temperatures decided to stay higher, of course, we’d celebrate.  Well, maybe not the kids.  But the rest of us would call our friends, mix fun summer drinks and call it balmy at 50°.  But no.  Yesterday morning greeting us at 16°.  Not balmy at all.

And so, when it began to snow in the wee hours this morning, I wasn’t sad at all.  The fresh snowfall blanketed the dirty mess and made it gorgeously pristine again.  The trees sparkled with their new dusting of snowy glitter.  And as I watched, in the deep, dark quiet of the morning, I secretly wished for a snow day.

Maybe next time.