A Winter Walk

Are you getting as much winter as we are here?

It boggles my mind, sometimes, as I talk to my friends in California or the Pacific Northwest, that while I’m bundled up in a huddle of blankets and woolens, they’ve got the air conditioning blasting and are wearing summer tank tops and skirts.

We seem to be getting more than our fair share of winter this year.   This is nowhere out of the norm for Midwesterners.  Everyone around here carries jumper cables, kitty litter for traction and a snow shovel in their car, par for course.  But I know some of my readers are down under or on the sunny beaches of Florida, and so today I thought I’d take you with me on a snowy winter walk.

Come on outside!  It’s a little chilly, but nothing we can’t handle.  That’s a busy street behind our tree out back.  There are no cars this morning, as most of the schools have been closed, and the cities are running low on rock ice to make the streets safe to drive on.  But we’re not going to be walking down the street; we’re going over the bridge to the park behind my home.  Let’s go!

Here we are, on the trail.  Did you bring your boots?  It looks like no one has been here to clear off this area yet.  That’s okay, we’ll trudge along in the snow.  It’s supposed to be great exercise.

The clouds look a little menacing, but it looks like the morning sun is trying to break through.  It’s been doing that pretty often, shining so deceptively bright during the day that you’d never think there were subzero temperatures outside.  I hope you brought your sunglasses!  Full sunshine on white snow is one of the brightest surfaces you can imagine.

Hey, the sun did come out after all!  The sky is blue, too!  It’s beautiful, making the snow glitter; a dazzling landscape full of sunlight and dark shadows.  Let’s hike up the hill here.  On the other side is the river, we’ll see what’s going on down there.

There it is!  Looks like the river is frozen solid.  You didn’t think we’d be the only ones out on this chilly weekend morning, did you?  No, the ice fishermen are out there.  We’re of a pretty hardy stock around here, and our fishermen are the same way.  Lemons to lemonade and all that.  Look, they’re already here at the break of dawn.  I imagine it must be the most peaceful winter sport there is.

Well, it’s starting to get a bit chilly now, and I think it’s time to head back and make some hot coffee and a delicious Sunday brunch of omelettes and muffins.  Won’t you join us?  Warming up the belly warms up the soul.  Goodbye, frozen river!  We’ll be back in a few months to splash around and play in our beachwear.  But for now, we’ll trudge our way through the snow back home.

Stay warm, to my winter and summer friends alike!

~ Mellie ★