The Big Snow of 2011

Uncle. Uncle. Enough already. We surrender. You win Mother Nature.
Snowmageddon. Snownough. Snowtacular. Snowpocolypse. Snowbound folks have spent endless hours, having nothing else to do, coming up with catchy descriptions.

Can you ever remember so much snow? Oklahomans, fifty years from now will be boring their grandchildren with stories of this winter. " In February of two thousand and eleven, the snows were as tall as I was. It came up to the window sills, it covered our cars. The mail did not even come. The mall closed! The world stood still for days as we struggled to survive. "

Eagerly, small children will look up into the eyes of their grandparent. "Tell us again about The Big Snow."

The elderly one remembers. All activities stopped. Parents could not get to work. Schools were closed. Dancing, soccer practice, piano lessons-Canceled. We had to stay home and interact with our families. Power came and went so our Wii's and other games were not reliable. Moms pulled out board games and playing cards. We made tents out of comforters and had indoor camps out with Dad. Teens put down their IPhone and learned to make noodles or dumplings or homemade bread. They shoveled snow and helped around the house. Neighbors called and families combined meals and shared home-cooked food and time together.
We bundled up in everything warm and built snowmen and igloos in our front yards. Kids walked over for snowball fights. Afterwards, Mom had hot chocolate with marshmallows waiting at the kitchen table. The fire snapped and crackled as wet mittens and gloves dried on the hearth."

The world slowed down enough that just watching the birds on their feeder would entertain us for hours. A long abandoned Birding book was located and a log was kept of who visited in the snow. A particular favorite were Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal. He was bossy and greedy, she demure and always waiting her turn. Even the chattering mob of crows was welcomed- a certain 6 year old noted "they were hungry too. "

Certainly, the snow has been a headache. We all need to get back to our regular lives. Jobs, school, meetings and events. If merely inconvenienced, we were the lucky ones. Our homes were warm, our larders were full and our families were safe. And maybe, just maybe, when the snow melts and the temperature climbs, we will look back on this time with less frustration and more fondness. For a time, the world slowed down and we just got to "be". Be with our families, with our friends and listen to that still quiet voice, within ourselves. chrissie