Liking Winter

Well it's January 31st and it's possible that there are those that have forgotten what's so great about winter.  It's time for a pep talk while we review the perks of the season.

My Grandma and Grandpa Miller lived in this 2 room
log cabin in UT with their family  1924-1925

The obvious best part of winter is snow.  Although responsible adults may hear the word "snow" and immediately think of shoveling the stuff.   Don't be discouraged.  Snow shoveling is very good exercise. Scooping, pounding, and throwing snow works the core, arms and thighs and can be aerobic if one does not stop to blow his nose. Shoveling after the storm can be particularly satisfying as the squarular borders of the cleared cement enlarge with the scooping process.  Shoveling during the snow storm gives particular meaning to the phrase we hear but may not understand as literally as we could. "Cleaning the house with children is like shoveling in a snowstorm."  If we actually shovel during a snowstorm it's like we're doing research.

Invigorating photo session in the brisk West Virginia winter air.

Driving in snow can be tricky, dangerous even, but guess what comes from dangerous driving conditions?  You guessed it!  Snow days!  2 hr. delays!  Cancelled meetings!  One February when I was living in West Virginia and teaching seminary, we only held class on 7 out of 20 days. Oh the excitement of the 5:30 am calls,  "School's cancelled."  Winter sleeping in is the very best sleeping in. Staying inside the cozy covers is just so delightful.  The only down side was that one of my seminary students was going to bring cinnamon rolls and each time she said she would, class was cancelled.  On the other hand, no cinnamon rolls meant 400 calories I didn't eat.  It was a win-win situation.

The young and young at heart hear the word "snow" and recognize it for its fun factor.  Just the snowflakes alone are magnificent little creations, but put it all together and the possiblilities are endless...snowmen, snow angels, snowballs, snow forts...

My dad and his little snowman .
He improved his skills until he was making
Yogi Bear snowmen for his children.
.

The most exquisite snow angels ever.

Becca and Andrew snowball making in IL
I'm not exactly sure what the bags were for.

Snow is slippery and that can be a fantastic characteristic.  Combine this with slope and gravity, and sledding, tubing, skiing, and snow boarding make their happy appearance.  In CA we had to drive to the snow.  We did this about once a year.  Going to college in UT introduced me to the "Best snow on earth."  with some of the best mountains on earth.  Then when I was married we spent a lot of years in NE which as you know is on the plains.  We had only gentle incline from the top of our backyard to the street and we made the best of it. But when we lived in MN winter got really good, long, but good.  The locals became giddy as the lakes started to freeze over.  Out came the trucks pulling the shacks to the middle of the ice for ice fishing. About once a year a car would fall into the ice, but I think this just added to the sport.  There were ice sculpting festivals, neighborhood ice skating rinks, and snowmobiles driving along the side of the road.  Our own personal property had one of the best tubing hills in town.  We had a walk-out basement and the back yard neighbor had an extended lot.  By starting in the front yard of our house we could get a run that raced down our property and circled into the vacant lot.  With use, the run became slick with packed snow and ice.  Those were glorious winter days, with temps ranging from -20 to 15 degrees.

My dad being pulled by his cousins

Nebraska

Minnesota

Tubing in the Sierra Nevadas with friends in 1978

Serious tubing with the Olsens in CO

Sundance 2011

Snow is white.  That's different than green, even if green is the best color in the world, variety makes the beauty of each color more apparent.  And if there's one thing winter is lacking it's light, and what color reflects light?  White.   And on a sunny day snow sparkles and sparkle is good.

West Virginia

The view from my Dad's boyhood home in Harlan, OR

Speaking of variety, sometimes our winter coats, hats, scarves, and gloves just need to get out.  Economically speaking, we need to get our cost per use down on our investment.

Beautiful snow-capped Mt. Timpanogos

3 California girls excited about snow.

When we live in a region that rarely gets snow,we can still enjoy the low temps.  Cold weather is wonderful in several ways.  Snuggling in the summer can be sticky, but in the winter we gather our loved ones and blankets and hot chocolate for movies, reading and huddling together for warmth.  Since it's dark outside and the plants are sleeping we can cuddle restfully without guilt or feeling like the weeds are growing if we aren't outside to stop them.

Exercising in other seasons can be hot, but on these crisp days, we can run and run and run and never even feel warm.  And consider the fun of seeing our breath condensing in the frigid air. Just one more amazing perk.  And winter brings extended refrigerator/freezer storage.  Drinks to chill?  Put them on the porch.  Jello salad needs to set?  Put it in the garage.  Might as well have a party.

The winter feature I love best  is that it is the least favorite season for my least favorite creatures.  Since December I have not seen one scorpion, one tic, one fly, one fire ant, and best of all, not one snake.  And the poison ivy is behaving as if it's dead.  So lets enjoy this misunderstood season of dormancy. We must forgive the naked trees and grey days and dark nights.  They are setting the stage for new life. Ready or not. Okay, I'm ready.