If we had no winter, the spring would not nearly be so pleasant!

When I was younger, snow was a given every winter. And not just a little snow – lots of it. We wore boots to our knees not because it was fashionable; but out of necessity. Jackets weren’t pretty and trendy; they were big, and bulky. Actually, we were ski suits to school because more often than not, the snow would be upwards of our waists. Those were the days of stinging noses and toes....warming our socks and mittens on radiators and having hot chocolate with dollops of fluff on top before heading out to make yet another snow fort.

Walking to school was always fun because the snowbanks on the sidewalk would be so high – and it would’ve been so cold that the tops would be frozen, so the challenge was to see how far you could walk across before falling through. Snowball fights on the way home were the norm; you’d plan in advance who you were going to walk home with so you could “team up” – especially those of us who were girls and didn’t necessarily have as good of an arm as some of the boys that would chase us home on those days.

It’s disappointing to see the paltry little storms we get here now. If we get 6” in one snowfall, once a winter – it’s termed a “blizzard”. The highest snowbank isn’t from drifts, or actual snowfall – but from the plows picking one spot on the street to pile the excess snow at. It’s more of a chore for the kids to get dressed up to play in the snow when it’s only ankle deep – where’s the fun in that? Not enough snow to make a snow angel without seeing the grass poking through.... even the kids look outside and say “there’s not enough snow out there to really do anything!”.

It’s not that I want to be inundated all winter long with blizzards...but to have a nice, good ol’ fashioned snow storm every now and again so that we can go sledding or tubing would be great. Nowadays, you can’t even go ice skating on lakes because we don’t have real long and cold winters anymore. Rarely is the ice solid enough to take the chance. I used to love going ice skating on the lake in Wakefield all winter long....I have to tell you, I can’t tell you the last time I saw anyone ice skating out doors. It’s been years. And if I have seen them, I’ve always thought to myself “it’s not quite cold enough to be taking that chance!!!”

Winter is changing around here. And I don’t like it. Not one bit.