Tuesday, December 22, 2009

“Blow, blow thou winter wind…”—another perspective


Okay, so I guess my “No snow” dance needs some tweaking—we got 2 feet of snow in 24 hours! We’re beating Chicago for snowfall for heaven’s sake. This is the most snow the Philadelphia area has gotten in one day since about 1996.

OY—I still had Christmas shopping to do. And this weather really makes my knee throb. [Ibuprophen here I come]

Fortunately, friends dug me out [I love my friends!!!!!] and I was able to get the last of my gifts purchased yesterday [good thing I took the day off, huh.] I just went to two stores and came home. I’m sure I was a funny sight gingerly gimping my way across the parking lot, but who cares. My shopping is done and half the stuff is wrapped. [fun with curling ribbon will happen on Christmas Eve—I’ll go all Martha up in it.] Then it’s just a matter of crossing my withered fingers that the fam likes what I got.

The pictures are pretty and all that, but not a fan of having to drive—and nowadays, walk!—in it. To get over my anxiety about navigating to and from my car with my still f’d up knee, I tried to remember snowstorms from my past.

Actually, one of my earliest memories is watching from an upstairs window as my parents trudged down our street in about 2 feet of the white stuff. They had taken my grandparents up to NYC to take a voyage on the Queen Mary. It was after Easter and my Mom had worn her finery so she and Dad could have a nice lunch in the city and then head home. Well, it started to snow as they were nearing New York, so they hurried their drop off and meal. It was a very quick falling storm and in no time we had quite an accumulation. They made it all the way to the top of our street and got stuck. So down the road they came hand in hand. Mom was in heels and her organza hat was a wilted mess around her face. But she smiled up at us as she clumped her frozen high-heeled shoe down in the snow.

Of course, I remember the snowball fights with my friends and showing my kids the snow when they were babies. We have pictures of them bundled up like the Michelin Man—and invariably they’d have to pee as soon as you got the last layer on them. And their little voices are muffled from the 5 foot scarf Nanny insisted on winding around their faces….. Actually, last night I was watching video of my grandson out in his first snow storm when he was about 6 months old. His expression was somewhat akin to mine these days as I venture out.

Now, off to re-choreograph that dance…..

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