Snowed In

You know that song in White Christmas, Snow. It is one of my favorite scenes in my favorite Christmas movie. If you haven't seen it, Bing Crosby,  Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen are all sitting on the train to Vermont excited for snow. They start singing about the fluffy white stuff. Well that is how I feel about the stuff. I love it, ok I don't like shoveling and really who does, but I love the look of it. There are snowman and snowballs to make. I love sledding down a big hill and then ice skating on an open lake. I enjoy going snowmobiling through the fresh powder and snow shoeing in the woods. There is nothing like it. When done you go inside, warming your bones by the fire and drink hot chocolate.

Pieter Bruegel the younger 1601

Now through history there has been ice and snow, after all there is an entire age called the Ice Age.  My family hails from Northern Europe so we have been dealing with the snow and cold for centuries. We like the cold and while not everyone does we almost thrive on it. Here is the thing many act like it is something new but for centuries we do the same with snow storms. First you batten down the hatches. Stock up on necessary needs. Farmers will tie ropes between the house and barn to make it easier to get from one to the other and safer. You stock up on wood, water, and food. In the past the stocking up of food started with the harvest. Than you sit by the fire and wait it out.  On occasion you might go out and shovel enough to get ahead of it if you can. Then you shovel yourself out and then you get to play in it.

Evening Skate - Charlotte Joan Sternberg

Since the invention of cars it had gotten easier to get out after I will admit but people still did, skis were created to help and snowshoes. Sleds for horses too. Ice skating too but sometimes more for fun. So enjoy the snow, make a snowman, or an angel. Then take you favorite mug and have some hot chocolate,  cider or tea, grab a good book or your latest project and enjoy being snowed in. Maybe I will finish knitting my next sweater in time for the next blizzard.

My dad, brother and I snowmobiling in NH.