Snow Day
It’s a snow day today. Recently the snow days seem to
generally happen on Sunday. Church is cancelled and we stay warm and safe in
our homes. Though I love to go to the House of the Lord and worship, I can
worship Him at home as well, and today that is what we will do. In all things I
will give thanks for He sends the sun, the rain and the snow storms.
I’m sure the children in the area would much rather have a
snow day on a week-day, for then they would be able to play hooky from school
for the day. How well I remember the snow days of my childhood. We gathered
with anticipation in front of the radio on the kitchen counter and waited for
those words, “No school at Sheldon Community Schools today!” Hallelujah! Many
times it was a reprieve for unfinished homework. Sometimes it meant one more
day to study for a test. (As if we really did that!) But mostly, it was a ‘fun’
day. I believe our mom enjoyed snow days even more than we did. She was not one
of those mothers who couldn’t wait for September when the children got out of
her hair for seven hours a day. Oh no, she loved having her offspring at home
with her even if for some of that time we were outside playing or at a friend’s
house.
A snow day could mean any number of special things would
happen. The very first thing we did was to collect some freshly fallen snow in
a large bowl and bring it inside for Mom to make ‘snow ice cream.’ Of course,
we were admonished to stay away from the yellow snow! The ingredients were simple, a little sugar
and a little vanilla mixed into the snow, but was it ever good! After having
our fill of snow ice cream we would sit around the kitchen table playing games.
Some of our favorites were, Anagrams, Wahoo, Monopoly and Clue. Other times Mom
would whip up a batch of taffy and we would have a taffy pull. We were
fortunate enough to live on the edge of town where we could enjoy ‘country
living’ but still have friends nearby. If the snow accumulation was
considerable we would bundle up and venture outside to build snow forts and
tunnels. When our friends joined us a lively game of “Fox and Geese” ensued. Sometimes
we built mazes in the snow. Of course, there were always a number of snow
angels decorating the lawn as well. There were no hills in our neighborhood, but when the snow
plows went by they usually left huge piles along the side of the road which
served as sledding slopes. We tried ice skating on the tiny creek that ran
behind our house, but it was usually so dry that there wasn’t enough water to
freeze. If it wasn’t too cold, we walked the mile or so to the city park where
an open spot was flooded for use as an ice skating rink.
Today, as I sit and listen to the howling wind and watch the
drifts form across our driveway, I am glad for the memories of those snow days
long ago. That girl of my childhood, loved
to wrap up in winter garb and venture outside on a blustery day. Today, this
girl is wishing there was someone else who would go out and do the chicken
chores!
