Dear Spring, we missed you....

The first snow is magical...it's something you can't appreciate unless you live in snowy areas. But it really is magical. When the first flakes are spotted, gently floating toward the ground, it causes a bit of a stir. People gather around the nearest window in childlike excitement. We assess the size, the shape and how fast or slow it is snowing. The first snow is a cause for strangers to talk about how pretty it is and how much fun the winter can bring. It's a bonding experience.

That's how we feel about snow in December. 

In the middle of February, the feeling is very different about snow. By February the wonder has worn off. There is no excitement when we see snow falling. There is cussing when we see the next set of flakes falling. There is more cussing as we lug bags of salt around so we can avoid falling on our keisters.....and generally end up on our keisters because we are balancing a bag of salt on icy surfaces. 

In the end, most of us up north are pretty much done with snow after January 1st. During the holidays it is magical and fun. After that, snow is a constant reminder we are getting too old for this shit. Our backs ache from shoveling, our fingers feel like they will never get warm, our feet are cold and wet, and if you wear glasses....there is the fun of going inside and being blinded for a while because of the immediate fog that hits our glasses. 

Not to mention...extra laundry. We wear layers upon layers to beat the cold. And then we have to wash said layers. And during the time we are putting on the layers, we are warming up our cars. Because nothing is worse than sitting in a cold car and grabbing a steering wheel that feels like an ice ring. 

So now...in February, we sit and wait. We are beginning to see the light of day (literally, as we have been in the dark for a long time now...stupid short days) and March is around the corner. We are having our first 50 degrees on Friday, a temperature we have not seen in a long, long time. And then, the snow will melt. And it will leave behind the dirty gross garbage that has plowed along the way. But like our previous fascination with the snow, we will be the same way with the warm sun. We will stumble out of our homes, pale from the lack of sunlight, confused at the bright ball in the sky. We will put on shorts too soon and carry our winter coats with us as we walk in sandals and shorts because,...well hell, we just had -22 with windchill 2 weeks prior and 50 degrees is a tropical heat wave, but the moment the sun goes down we know the temperature will drop like a stone.

For now...we wait...impatiently for spring and embrace anything close facsimile thereof. We know we will get some more snow, but we also know spring is right around the corner...Good bye dark days of winter....hello sunny (and wet) days of spring. We have missed you.