{ 1st Snowfall in MD }

I logged onto Facebook this morning to see endless comments and pictures about snow. I’ll be honest… it sort of depressed me, because I FREAKING LOVE SNOW. My love for snow is greater than my love for Santa, so you know that’s saying something. Anyway there were a bunch of comments – good and bad. I’m guessing the people that hate snow either have to drive or work in it, have never had fun playing in it, or just don’t like the cold. Or have views like this:

I took these pictures winters ago. I think the first picture is at least 5 years old, maybe longer.

Growing up we had a ton of fun in the snow. I remember building igloos when there was lots of snow, tying the sleds to the back of the 4-wheeler and zooming around the farms. One year we stole my brothers boat (tiny little dingy) and tied it up and all of the kids in the neighborhood (AKA my 6 cousins, little brother, and I) would pile into the boat and my dad would take us on long rides. The boat no longer had a bottom from rubbing against the blue rocks by the time winter was over. Oops.

I remember when we lived with my grandmother, we were forced to go down the steps by the basement and take off our wet clothes and boots there by the wood stove. My mom always had hot chocolate waiting and if our clothes were really wet, she’d throw them in the dryer so that we could get back outside to play faster.

And let’s not forget the giant hill on my second-cousin’s property. It’s humongous – the perfect sledding hill. The only downside were the frozen peach-sized horse shit nuggets that were littered under the snow. You weren’t a certified H—- sledder unless you face-planted into a pile or had bruises on your ass from riding over one. Still, we loved that hill. It was the shit. Pun intended.

One year my dad took my little brother (who was like 3 then) and I to the creek on the four wheeler. While my little brother sat in the snow at a safe distance away, we did endless donuts on the ice (trust me, it was solid). I remember De (my little brother) bundled up in his snow suit and giggling so, so hard that he kept falling over. Funnest Memory Ever.

Then there was school. The excitement for the snow was so palpable that it crackled. Everyone, myself included, would wait with bated breath every time the intercom system chimed, hoping the principal would tell us we were going home early. Getting let out for school was pretty much a toss up. Either they canceled for the threat snow and it didn’t snow, or they made us go to school only to be let out a few hours later. We were the last stop on the bus and there happened to be a hill that the bus had to back down in order to turn around. It got stuck every single time it snowed and had to squeal tires for like 15 minutes until it gained enough traction to be able to lurch out. I’m pretty sure my brothers even got the four wheeler out to help “tow” it up the hill once. (Not quite sure about the logic behind that, but the consideration for Gussie the bus driver was there.)

Anyway, this is my snow post. I haven’t written this much in a while, but nostalgia is fun to sink into.

Please feel free to share your own childhood memories of snow!