This Lovely Snow Week

While my friends have (understandably) been crying on Facebook about the inconveniences of this snow week that we've all ended up having, my own week has been exceedingly sweet. This was a home week for my traveling husband, which is always nice in itself, since the traveling weeks ask me to be in two or three places at once about twenty times during the week. Thank the shiny stars above my family is able to help out with driving!

But, I have been griping about the snow and the cold. So inconvenient. Makes the roads bad. Gotta shovel the sidewalk and steps. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. The cold is ridiculous. Feels like -24 degrees? We're all going to freeze to death if we just walk to the mailbox.

Today, the cold abated while the snow raged on. I decided to walk in the snow to my mom's house (1 mile away) to help her with some computer things. On the way over, the snow had mostly stopped, so I snapped a selfie because pics or it didn't happen.

Red and Pink and Red and Blue, Snowy, Snowy, Snowy, Sioux

I spent about 2 hours at my mom's, and we had a great time. By the time I left, the snow was falling again. Huge, beautiful flakes. Now, everyone of course has had enough snow photos to last the winter, but I took this little video (13 seconds):

Although the streets had been plowed, the sidewalks were deep in snow. One of the roads is pretty busy, so I walked on the sidewalk there. Stepped deep in snow, over my boots, a good workout! As I walked, I realized something:

Snow is fun and beautiful and lovely when you are walking in it. 

Hmm, another picture of life? I can stand on the sidelines and complain about not having enough time, or wanting something I don't have, or feeling overwhelmed. But when I actually participate, and get in the arena, all I see is the beauty. Even in the midst of difficulties, the beauty is there to see, if only I join in, immerse myself, and allow what is to be perfect just the way it is.

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A Very Memorable Snow Day

Some of that wintry, white, unwelcome stuff fell from the sky yesterday. A snow day for today was called last evening. We all rejoiced.

Most of my friends around here posted pictures of themselves and their children SLED-RIDING, as if that is fun or something? Been a long time since that sounded like fun. OK, Kepler would probably might like it, after we got him clad in snow pants (must buy), boots (must buy first), waterproof mittens (on the list to buy after the boots), a hat, a scarf, insulated long underwear, electric hand warmers, lotion for his face, a warmer coat, wool socks (must BUY), polypropylene liners, plastic bags to futilely try to keep his feet warm, something extra for his ears, and a thermos of coffee and one of brandy. You just KNOW after working for two hours to get him outside, he'd be ready to come back in in 3.5 minutes. Ain't NOBODY got time for that.

So, sled-riding is not the first order of business on my mind. Instead, today we went to the Krohn Conservatory, where they were having the Falling Water Gardens display. Based on the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright, it sounded like something we would love to see.

THIS was the kind of day I was imagining when I wrote my blog about homeschooling. The smell of the dirt, the humidity in the air, the colors of the flowers, the textures of the cacti, the motion of the waterfall, Kepler running, absorbing, smelling the fragrances, touching something real. Making the kind of memories that last. Didn't have to homeschool to make it happen; just needed a snow day.

Dear daughter wanted to stay there permanently.

Orchids are magic.

Actual flowers I took an actual photograph of.

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