On a snowy day in January long, long ago

I'm really only guessing it was in January. It could have been March. Mom? Josh? Are you there? Do you remember when this happened?


Things I remember about this very snowy day:

• I was wearing a pair of my mom's snow boots
• In order to keep the boots on and make sure no snow got inside them my feet were covered with plastic bags
• Walking around was slippery
• When we started you couldn't see the grass in the yard
• At the end you could
• I wasn't much help because I was small (and undoubtedly whiny)
• Most of my time was spent walking around behind my mom and brother while they rolled this giant snow ball around the yard
• I took my job as snowman cheerleader very seriously
• Probably not. Most likely I kept asking if we were going inside soon.
  
• They used all the snow in the front yard for the body and had to go to the back yard to build the head
• When we were done Josh and I posed proudly for a photo next to our snowman
• A snowman that I had very little hand in making
• My mother is very generous

I've never really liked playing in the snow. I love watching it come down while I'm next to a fire, reading a book. But, as a kid I only played in the snow because that's what you're supposed to do. It sounds like a lot of fun, and it is for about five minutes until your appendages start to go numb and your eyes want to water, but can't because the tears freeze before they can make it out.

The house we grew up in had a wood stove that we used for heat. On snowy days we would go outside and tromp around, getting lots of snow stuck to ourselves. My favorite part was when we were back inside we would pull the clumps of snow off our clothes and throw them onto the side of the wood stove. Watching it sizzle and evaporate was the best part of playing in the snow. Standing there in the heat from the stove, careful never to touch it, we had the most fun. There was something about the snow outside and the comfort the stove provided. It made me feel peaceful.

Despite all of that, this particular day, the day we made the giant snowman, has stayed with me as one of the happiest days of my childhood. I don't remember the cold, but I remember spending time with my mom and brother and the sense of accomplishment we all felt when the snowman was complete. It was a day spent in total carefree frivolity. No worries, save to finish the snowman.

It was a day spent in love.