Delusional...

This year seems to be all snow so far...snow, and politics. What does that say I wonder? We have a saying here in Michigan that if the snow is lake effect snow, it's not real or as my husband says it's "delusional snow." As he plows he sometimes yells up at the clouds, "This isn't real! This is fake snow I'm plowing!"

Of course he's wrong...it is very real and so much so this year since we've had over 20 inches of the fake snow on our yard and drive as well as 3 times as much on all corners and at the end of the drive where both my husband and the local plows deposit more daily.

So what do these two have in common? Possibly that both the snow and politics ebb and flow with the season. Like the snow, politics is a seasonal thing that shows up for a year during the presidential election season, and the other Summer or November voting seasons are there and gone in a week or so.

Some of the elections are important to home and hearth, but so many are confusing and frustrating at best. Voting for an issue often can include dealing with the legalese that confuses in the voting booth - like having to vote no to say a simple yes to an issue.

The snow will pass, and so will the candidates. Let's hope at least that the ones who fade with the coming of spring are those we need to disappear!

Memories of Winter Days

Winter for kids means excitement, sledding and sometimes snow days. I can remember when my boys were young and the screaming excitement that always came with that first snowfall. Down the stairs they tumble yelling at each other and me. “Where are my snow pants?” or, “Is breakfast ready? We need to get to the hill!” Like a bunch of excited puppies falling over everything in their path they exploded through the halls and kitchen of our small house hitting every wall and always pushing, shoving, and knocking over anything in their path to the back door.

I remember those days when ever we get snow and over my morning coffee rerun those days each year with a smile. Their hill was a snow pile in the parking lot of the senior housing next door and they wore it down quickly – until the next snow fall.

Memories pile up these days. My youngest always said that snow was his favorite toy in winter. Today it makes for my favorite thoughts of winter.

Enter Snow, Stage Right

This is the beginning of December, the start of the season of snow. I grew up not too far north of Holland, Michigan and when I would think of the winters, I remember reveling in the idea of sledding and building snowmen. Sometimes it was wonderful simply to look out windows and watch our brown fall days turn almost magically into a world of white with ribbons of ice dangling from the roof’s edge. Winter can be fun, but it has in the past also proved memorable. Some of those winters created memorable pictures, and stories that made became a part of the history of this community.

If you look back at archival pictures from the early days of the 20th century you can find some amazing pictures of the fun created from the winter storms that blew through and seemed to stop life for the whole community. There are pictures of skating on the on Lake Macatawa from 1906, and of horse-drawn cutter races in the 20s. But the really memorable winter storms are marked simply by the years they occurred.

In 1918 the snow had created mountains that when plowed looked like canyon walls with telephone poles hovering at the top edges like buried giants. 1936 was another winter of record snowfall, but the winter of 1962-63 was a record maker for bitter cold temperatures and snowfall. Gale force winds created snow drifts that reached twelve feet. The Board of Public Works had placed 8 foot stakes by the hydrants for area plow truck drivers but after the incredible snow falls the stakes were barely visible. A total of 137.5 inches of snow fell that year.

Those of us who lived here in the winters of both 1977 and ‘78 remember five to 10 foot drifts, over 60 mile per hour winds and weekends in February that brought storms of such ferociousness that churches city-wide were closed Sunday mornings, and also closed roads county-wide.

Winter’s force over the years has given us many a snowy mess. But like in the early days of the 20th century, it also showed that young and old alike can enjoy a surprise snow day. Winters here can be unpredictable and sometimes over powering. But from sled races to building a snow fort, a great winter storm can create fond memories, and stories to remember for a whole lifetime.