Snow At Last!

Those of you who have never lived in Michigan probably won't understand the absolute thrill of seeing snow again. You probably think that we're crazy to look forward to snow.

But when it's cold and wintry, we like to have some snow on the ground. It's kind of like the proof of the pudding. If there's snow, there's cold. And we can deal with cold so long as there's snow on the ground. We can play in snow. We can dress up warm and put on our skis or pile onto our sleds and have a great time out in the snow, then come back inside and laugh about all the fun we had while sitting in front of a warm fire, drinking a hot cup of chocolate.

Can't do that when it's raining, though. Can't do it when the temperature is up to fifty degrees Fahrenheit, like it's been the last few days. Nope. When the weather's warm, ya gotta go out and start raking leaves or trimming bushes or fixing the gutters or some other such nonsense, the kind of thing you normally associate with late fall or early spring. And you'll work up a sweat and then get all chilled because the air isn't quite warm or dry enough to evaporate all that water that's collecting between the layers of your clothes. And you can't just say, Forget it, I don't feel like working outside just because it's warm outside. You have to. It's your last chance before the cold weather really settles in, leaving you with nothing but the inside housework to do. You have to go outside, breathe the air, drink in the last vestiges of warmth before it disappears for six months.

So when the cold weather roars in like a lion, dropping the temperature like a stone and turning the ambient humidity into beautiful flakes of crystalline beauty which drop out of the sky and pile up onto the roads and sidewalks and lawns, it's time to sigh, toss all the tools back in the garage where they belong, walk right into the house and put on some hot water, grab that book you've been meaning to read for the last few weeks, and settle down in front of a warm fire.

And let Old Man Winter have some fun for a spell. You can worry about shoveling the driveway tomorrow when he's done. Tonight, it's time to relax.

Welcome to the New Year!