The Snowy Day

The back woods
Covered porch
Puzzles in their jammies
Lottie & Zibby
Blankets of snow

Piles of snow everywhere as far as the eye can see. I had a favorite book when I was a little called "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats. My kids now know it by heart. As a 5 year old living in sunny southern California, this book seemed almost other worldly to me.

I feel like I am living in that book. "The snow was piled up high along the streets to make a path for walking." In fact the snow banks are so high it's like playing Russian roulette every time you pull out into traffic. Zibby is often heard form the back seat, "whoa mommy, dat was a close one! You should be more careful!"

"He climbed up one tall heaping mountain of snow and slid all the way down." Almost everyday the kids can be found sledding, climbing, and even tunneling their way through the snowy moonscape just outside our front door. We had to hang up extra hooks for all of their snow gear. I feel like the laundry load has doubled, the floors are covered in snowy, salty slush residue, and someone is always searching for that ever elusive glove.

"That night when Peter went to bed he dreamed that the sun had come out and melted all the snow away, but when he woke up his dream was gone. New snow was falling as far as the eye could see. After breakfast he put on his snowsuit and called to his friend across the hall and they went out together into the deep, deep snow."

As far as life goes here, it's still lonely and barren, but also still, quiet and beautiful. I'm learning to embrace the winter outside and in me. It takes time....but I'm hoping for a glorious spring.