Today we are having our first snowstorm - not a very big one. I think there is enough to "track a cat" which means there will be 13 more snowfalls this winter. I always get a certain feeling when that first storm arrives, it is the beginning of a new season. I had a dear friend, and the first snowstorm found us heading for the hills of Lake Garda with a toboggan, a sled, or skis, or just to walk in the snow - two carefree spirits. As we got older and had other commitments (kids), one of us would call the other when the first snow fell. Eventually, she died of lung cancer, but I still think of her when the first snow flies.
Lake Garda [in Burlington, CT] was on land owned by my grandfather Jones when I was a baby. Our family used to have picnics down by the brook. Later, the guy who bought it made a lake there and as I got older, we swam there and roamed the hills that once belonged to my Grandpa.
It was a good feeling to wake up and look out at the trees, all covered with snow and to know that we were snug in our bed - still on the porch. But that gallon jug of HOT water stays warm all night and therefore I just move it from cold spot to cold spot.
The first snow! Still a delight to behold - how the fresh coating makes the world seem quiet and sparkling new again. Grammie always talked of an old wives' tale, that the date of the first snow fall where there was enough to "track a cat" would signal the number of snowstorms that season. So, as it fell on the 14th in this letter, there would be a total of 14 snowfalls, with enough snow on the ground to track a cat. My sister and I love this tale, and we still mark the dates to see how close they come to being true. There is some wiggle room, of course, since I've never actually tried to track a cat, and so don't know just how much snow is required....
Do you mark the first snow as a special time? What a wonderful legacy Gram and her friend created together - taking time to remember each other and their childhood adventures on that one day of the year. Gram's friend's name has been lost to me, but both their spirits live on. When the first snow flies, I think of them as girls together - arm in arm, giggling and tromping through the snow, their sled pulled behind them, excited to feel the rush of the cold wind as they slide down a hill - carefree.
Jessica that was Stephanie gram was talking about. She was really heartbroken when she passed and talked about her all the time. They were definitely buffs!
ReplyDeleteI can remember the snow shoes in the barn. We went tromping around in those many times. ❄⛄❄
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