Broken Back

It's cold in winter. Our upstairs is unheated, and our footsteps snapped as we ran to bed each night.

Anecdote:
Annie comes downstairs, visibly upset: Our snow globe is broken!
I examine it briefly before handing it back: No, sweet, the water is just frozen.

Anecdote:
The girls have just been outside sledding in arctic temps. (They didn't last long.)

Me: Susannah, please drape your leotards over your dresser so they can dry out.

Later that night, as I put the girls to bed, I pick up the crunchy, frozen leotards, legs standing as stiff as fear.

Snapshot:

A five foot snow drift in the back yard was no rival of the five-inch snowdrift in our bedroom. The windows were sealed with plastic, too! (I laughed when I discovered it in the middle of the night.)



So you can certainly understand why I exulted in spring's suddenness this year. The night before I took this picture, our driveway was a solid sheet of ice, and it took multiple attempts to reach the top. When John parked the van, it slid sideways for several yards before coming to a stop.

But the next day....SPRING IN THE DRIVEWAY!



And springs in our basement!



Fall will always be my favorite season, but Mt. Hunger helps me to appreciate the beauty of spring's mud and puddles. There's nothing like a good spring thaw to lift the spirits. I'm already looking forward to next year's. Seriously.