Life is made up of memories. Some grand, some small, but both permeate our memory banks waiting for the trigger that brings them to the surface.
This morning it is slightly windy and 21°F (-6° C) headed to 11°F (-11° C). My son sent me a picture of a car parked beside his with the back window smashed in. Tree limbs blew off and broke the window out. We have been exchanging text messages that warm my heart and make me anxious to see him on Christmas day. I wonder if I will store this small moment to be recalled again at a later date.
Snippets follow….
Driving the Alcan out of Alaska in November. It was terribly cold and the wind pushed the snow horizontally into the windshield. It was like a bad optical illusion. I argued until my ex finally stopped at a small motel so we could sleep. The next morning he was so mad he would not eat breakfast. The car locks were frozen and the blankets in the trunk were frozen to the inside of the trunk lid. Meanwhile my children and I had hot homemade oatmeal with brown sugar on top served with real cream and buttered toast. It was so good. I can still taste every bite.
Sitting at my paternal grandmother’s dining room table looking out on the back yard. We had fresh snow – lots of it. All unblemished with no footprints. A bright red cardinal landed on the branch of the snow laden forsythia bush. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen.
Snow day! The bus tried to make it out of the Valley. At the base of Cherry Tree Hill, he stopped and tried to put chains on the bus. The chains were not enough to pull the bus up the hill. The bus backed down the hill (no easy task) and we all got to stay home.
Sledding. We raided my grandfather’s dresser drawers and put on multiple pairs of his too big wool socks. All bundled up, we went sledding with our old wooden sleds. I can remember laying on my stomach flying face first down the hill. At the end of the day, there were little balls of ice frozen to the wool socks.
Ice fog in Alaska. Every branch, every exposed item covered with ice and snow. Ice crystals in the air made it look like glitter – a life-sized snow globe!
In Maine, shoveling out my car before I showered for work and then having to shovel again because so much snow had fallen in the interim.
Do cold weather days hold memories for you?
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