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

School's Out!!!!

Ah. Snow Days. Remember as a kid, watching the flakes start to fall. And Fall. Temperatures plunging. Hoping. Praying. Calling friends back and forth. "Have you heard anything?" Bugging the local radio station. Watching the television for an announcement. Not doing homework, going to bed, betting on the weather. Your Mom or Dad coming in, early the next morning. "You can go back to sleep." NO SCHOOL TODAY!

When my kids were all home, a Snow Day was always like a holiday. Time for a big breakfast. Older kids on four-wheelers, pulling sleds. Younger kids making snowmen and snow ice cream. Calls to my husband with a grocery list and a request for movie rentals (remember those?). Chicken Noodle Soup and Grilled Cheeses for lunch-usually for at least 8 to 10 kids. Keeping the fire going all day. Chili or Beef Stew simmering on the stove for dinner. Someone was always making cookies or brownies. Maybe even a game of Uno around the fire as we watched "The Karate Kid" or "The Terminator". The first day was exciting, A second day? Less so.

Sleeping children and teenagers everywhere Some mine. Some not. Dirty dishes. Wet clothes dripping in the back hall. The washer and dryer going non-stop. "We don't have anything to eat!" Another grocery run. The Winter Wonderland is turning to slush and mud. Tracks in the hall and up the stairs. Bickering. Arguing. "There's not anything to do...." Then, "will you drop us off at (insert) the mall, the skating rink, the movie, the friend who lives clear across town."

I kept my 4 and 2 year old grandchildren this weekend for what was to be a two night assignment. The weather changed and the ice and snow kept their frantic parents in terminals and airport hotels as they scrambled to get back home. My daughter said I sounded passive aggressive when she called to tell me the airport was closed and they would try to get out the next day. I knew the weather was not their fault, but I was beginning to feel like Jack Nicholson in The Shining.

A cold morning starts early with little ones. You know it is going to be a long day when you resort to Play Dough at 7:45 A.M. You have made a train out of the bar stools and chuga chuga'd until you lose your voice. You blow up the bouncy house in the living room and try to keep the new puppy from tearing a hole in it as your two grandchildren crash into each other.
You just hope they don't need medical attention from the jumping as your car is under 2 inches of ice. You read "Fancy Nancy" and "Thomas the Train" until the words are memorized. The Barney DVD drones endlessly in the background. I love you. You Love me........A snack of Cheetos and juice kills 7 minutes. We make No-Bake Cookies. We make valentines. We make messes. And of course, we make memories.

Parents are now home (two and a half hours from the Tulsa airport to Muskogee in the wee hours this morning ) and all is right with the world. I was not disappointed to get to my house and to my middle-age life. A leisurely coffee and the paper. Taking a shower without an audience. Avoiding the kitchen. Conversations with my husband and my friends. Peace and quiet .

It's been great here at the house this morning. Just great. Great.
Hmm... Well....Maybe I'll just put my snow boots on and walk over to the kids and see what my grand babies are up to.


Snow Ice Cream is something we always made on Snow Days. Here's an easy recipe.

3 cups loose, clean, snow.
2 tablespoons milk or cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Adjust milk or snow to the consistency you desire.

I have also used Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk and omitted the sugar. It is pretty yummy but of course anything with Eagle Brand is delicious! Chrissie

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