Shut up about the car in the background. Check out the amount of snow. They actually cancelled school for this. I'm pretty sure I'm trying to keep my hands warm. That's me on the right. I hope that's not some 1980s modeling pose I'm trying to do.
I grew up in Texas. Houston, Texas. That picture is the one picture of the one time when it snowed. It's with me and my pals, we made a one-foot tall snowman from the snow collected on the car, because we didn't want to mess the pretty stuff up on the ground. That, and we didn't know how to make a snow man.
When I went off to college, in the glory days, we got a huge snow storm my first December. Six-foot snow drifts. We held our breath while our coach drove us to practice. Wait, I was a red-shirt, and so, "practice" meant daily beatings, target practice, if you will. Then the snow melted. And it was windy and all was right with the world. There's folklore out in Amarillo that the mall has a contract with the snow plows that above all, their parking lot gets plowed first. Amen. I'm certain it's true. There's just not that many big snows, and not that often. And I'm pretty sure there's not enough snow plows.
So, when we moved to Nebraska, and I discovered we were bordering a Dakota, because all I knew up to that point was TEXAS geography, I was apprehensive to cross the Mason-Dixon line, but elated that I'd have a white Christmas. For three years, I've waited. I've muddled through snow in November, only to watch it melt away, then snow again in January...February....March...and then there was that one time in April when I defied Mother Nature to snow in April. That was funny. Because year four, and I got my White Christmas. It was pretty.
The thing about dreaming of a white christmas is timing. Of which, Mother Nature has no regard for, apparently. It snowed while we were in Mexico...at the BEGINNING OF DECEMBER. And that snow, plus about four other snow storms is still on the ground. Because we've had consistent sub zero temperatures. Not freezing. Sub zero. For a solid month now. It's snowing right now. It snowed yesterday. And the day before too.
I'm so sick of snow. It's cold, it's wet. We put sand out so to melt it or make traction or something. And so, I get wet gravel all through my house. No one can wear shoes inside. The coats, the gloves, the hats, the boots, the snow pants are all over the place. Sick and Tired. I don't even want to celebrate the snow in my hot tub while sipping a hot cocoa in peppermint schnapps. It's too cold to even hot tub.
I can hear Mother Nature now, "Oh, you want a white Christmas? Yeah? Well FINE! Here you go!"
Thanks, for that. Now I'm forced to be trapped in a house avoiding Brit-Watch, while I fold endless amounts of laundry and sip hot tea all day. And when the kids get home, I actually have to PLAY with them! I can't even make them go play outside. Although they want to. It's just too cold. Thanks for all that.
So no thanks Bing. Thanks for sucking me in to your little lullaby of how pretty a White Christmas is. I'm not buying it anymore! Next year, I'll dream of Christmas here:
That's how I roll.
I seriously thought you were your sis when I first looked at the pic.....I am dying to know who is standing next to you!
Yeah....is that Molly?
You should have seen the yellow Urban Housewife Blight (station wagon)that I had to drive when I was pregnant with you.
It's Carol.
Ok the ONLY thing worse then snow is the freezing temperatures we've been having here in this not so wonderful right now because it's too freaking cold to breath state of Nebraska!
On that note I am attempting to run away from home now!
Ha ha! I've got to find the photo of us three kids the first time it snowed in Austin! It's precious. We, too, scooped up all the snow in the entire yard to make a pitiful little snowman with a pea-sized head. There we are in the winter sun, sitting on wet green grass next to our proud little snowman! I'll try to find it and send it soon! It's a good laugh. :)
Miss you!
I took the pic! Carol is the snowman. She has a snowball on her head, is holding one in her hand and one is at her feet (not in picture). I remember a few years later how it snowed and they did not cancel school. You should read the four letter words I wrote about that in my seventh grade journal! We Texans loved the snow. After driving across several states once in snow and ice, I lost my excitement about it. Plus, in Durham, NC there is one snow plow for the whole city or so you would think, and I learned the hard way why you shovel the snow off the walk and your driveway - it turns to ice! Don't think I will see much snow now that I'm back in God's country, but it did snow here last April! Having said all that I wish I could go sledding with you and the rest of your family!