The One With The First Day Of Winter

It arrived yesterday. That old, fateful, shortest day. The first day of winter.

It was chilly.

It was cool.

But it arrived.

Happy yule. 

Now the days

Grow longer

Stronger

Making their way

Toward steadier days

The One Where Spring is Almost Here

You can feel it....

It is almost here....

After this long, long, long - cold and snowy - long winter.

There are hints of spring.

Changing the clocks ahead one hour.

A slight warm up this past week.

Robins.

Ads for spring TV shows.

It will be here very soon.

Spring....we are looking for you.

The One Where Spring Arrives

At last, it is March.

March 1. For those of you who don't know, this is the first day of meteorological spring. The light is at the end of the tunnel.

While it has been a fun few months of winter, it is about time that spring arrives.

Sure, the winter has been filled with sledding, skating, snowman building, and running in the snow. But, this winter has brought so many frigid cold snaps that it is hard to believe. I sometimes remember two - even three - in a season. But this year, their seems to be a regular trend in mid-week to get into the single digits.

Now is time for hope. So, for all of you who can't wait for the cold weather to slowly loosen its grip, wait no more.

Happy first day of meteorological spring.

The One Where We Go Sledding

Two days ago, we had the chance to enjoy the powdery snow that blanketed the ground this past weekend. We went sledding!!!

What fun. We were able to break in our new sleds, which always leads to a great time. Luckily, with some guidance, I had cleared a spot to situate ourselves ahead of time...so there was no trudging through snow like a Griswold Family Christmas Tree Cutting to get to our spot.

Once there, I did an initial test run and - crack - I heard the solid snap of plastic as I crescendoed down the hill. However, upon close inspection, it looked like I did little to cause any problems.

After that, it was fairly smooth sailing for Bri and Kiff. They each took turns going down the hill as I guarded the base, where a pole is placed perilously close to the run we typically take. But, sure enough the kids did great. They did run after run with smooth sailing. Bri preferred to take off her hat to feel the snow spray in her face. Kiff, meanwhile, enjoyed launching himself off during the runs. Good times. In between runs, I tried my best to mold the powdery snow into snowballs, though I would have had an easier time with glue. But I got a few good shots off, and one that got Emmie, whose irascible glare told me to stop immediately.

The end culminated in a quick run by Emmie and me. Emmie did a great launch down the run while I had to bailout quickly before I almost ran into the pole that I had so carefully guarded.

What a wonderful day in the snow!