Our Retreat

Five inches of snow...

  Ten fingers intertwined...

Four boots trudging

  Side by side or in a line...

One short walk in wonder...

  A little bit of peace...

One cozy home awaiting...

   Our return from our retreat.

Snow Bunny

Hi! Molly Joy here,  

all bundled up to go play in the snow for the very first time. 

(To tell ya the truth, I NEVER thought Mom was gonna quit putting clothes on me. I've got on 92 layers including my flannel pjs...how embarrassing! She even put my feet into zipper baggies inside of my shoes to keep them warm she said...now I'm sure she's crazy!)

Last year, you will remember, Mom made me watch the big kids from the window.

 I didn't think it fair at the time but didn't have the vocabulary, as yet, to communicate my innermost feelings on the matter.

Com'on let's head to the back yard, I think that's where the big kids are...

 They're just behind this gate...I can hear them!

 Good thing Colten (that's what I call him, 

everybody else calls him Cole) wath out here, 

'cause my Mom wath NO help AT ALL!

 There's Kate, I can always count on her for some adventure...

Oh now THAT looks fun!!

I wanna sled like Colten!

Ok, sit down like this and...and...and nothin!

"Cole, can you help me?? I wanna go fatht like you!"

"Oh my goodneth, did you see me in mid-air? I wath blurry like Colten!"

"Sure, Molly, you looked the original flying Walinda!" 

(Mom says it's important to keep up her self-confidence!!)

After my big sledding adventure, we went for a walk...

Then Mom lined us up for one of those loony photo shoots where she attempts to get a good picture of ALL of us kids.  I mean really, what are the odds on THAT? Slim to none, I'm telling you, she just keeps trying though.  We really try hard to look nice, she does feed us and all...

"Thorry, didn't know you meant look NOW. I wath thinking about dinner. Lemme try again..."

"What do you mean Kate wath thticking out her tongue?"

Here we go again...

"Oopth, thorry once more! I was just wondering why 

Kate wath thticking out her tongue a minute ago...I'll do better for this next attempt."

"Hey look close, I think I did it...was Kate doing this?..."

"Hey Colten! Did you know you can catch snowflakes on your tongue if you stick it out while Mom isth trying to take our picture? Pretty cool, huh?"

"Uh-oh!"

"Lookths like we finally sent her to the moon! What a lift off!"

Thankth for coming out to play with me I had a blast! 

(Seems like Mom did too!)

A Winter Poem

The news called it "The Winter Blast", I call it wonderful!  Eight inches of snow in my yard, over twenty inches in yards of friends and family in towns near and far. 

I've come across a poem sums up this snowy secluded Saturday.  It's called "Blizzard" and is written by Barbara Reiher-Meyers.

Gale warning...hail warning

Sky sifts...high drifts

Finding bright...blinding white

Snowball...snowfall

Moonscape...snowscape

Frostbite...dost bite

Rococo swirls...hot cocoa curls

Icy glove...spicy love

Huddle in...cuddle in

Rock salt...clocks halt

...and another bit of poetry from the Master Poet,

 "For to the snow he says, 'Fall on the earth,' likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. "

Job 37:6

Snow Day!

The predictions of the amount of snow to come and of the speed with which it was to fall sent rivers of excitement through this household.  If one were to believe the weather reports of the local newscasters and take any heed at all to what the man at the convenient store reported, up to eight inches of snow in the next day and a half was to be expected.  I half expected to feel a literal thump as the inches fell to the ground all at once, as was predicted.   

Though no thump was felt, snow did begin to fall mid-afternoon and accumulated at about a half an inch per hour.  On went the boots, out came the sled, and over came the neighbor's child who had the day off from school and had been waiting for The Wright Academy to dismiss for the day so that snow-mates would be available.

Behold! The Wright Family Sled, purchased our first winter here in the "frozen tundra".

But look...

...the neighbor's sled.  It was a thing of beauty.

Look at 'em go.

But ours has this nifty string...

Useful for steering and pulling,

...and pulling...

...and spilling,

and spilling.

Hot chocolate was delivered to warm their insides, but their outsides...well, it was just plain cold.

It was even cold for the spectators.

It was necessary to leave the window opened so that the big kids could hear Molly "bossing" them.  She called to them constantly as they slid down the hill toward her vantage point.  She remained there for much longer than I'd imagined she would.  Even as her cheeks and hands began to turn rosy with cold, Molly refused to be distracted.  So...

If you can't join 'em...dress like 'em.

Happy Snow Day Everyone!