Old Man Winter

When winter digs its heels in and seems to be dragging on just a little too long I often wonder.."Why do we live here again?"  There are places where people wear bathing suits and spend weekends at the beach all year round.   Places where it's okay to do your laundry and housework on a beautiful, sunshiny day because there is no pressure...there will be another nice day tomorrow.  If home is where you make it...then why don't we go and make it somewhere tropical? 

So yesterday, on Bonus Day, I reminded myself why we live here...




The fantastic view from my brother-in-law's cottage.


And yes, out on that lake is a cleared off skating rink.  With the snow plowed high all around, it is the perfect enclosure to keep the hockey puck in bounds.  And so, I have experienced tropical beaches...the hot sand on my feet, the sound of the ocean crashing against the earth, and the salty taste of seaside air.  But I get to live with the crisp, refreshing air of -30 filling my lungs and the squeaking, crunching sound of snow under my boots.  And yesterday, we felt free and small on the frozen lake's wide open spaces under the blanket of a brilliant blue sky.  The only sounds were from hockey skates cutting their sharp edges into Mother Natures ice rink and the sound of joyous children playing an intense game of scrub hockey with all the energy and drive as if it was for the all mighty Stanley Cup.

We laced up some skates on Callie and she attempted her first skate of the year - her second attempt in her lifetime.  We had taken her skating once last winter but the experience ended in a pool of tears so it goes without saying that we weren't sure what to expect, if anything at all, this time around. 

And I just have to say, I was a proud Mama...

I was torn between cheering and clapping for Callie's skating awesomeness, snapping pictures and taking videos, and keeping Lexi out of the middle of the boys' hockey game.  Jon skated by and scooped up Lexi and was going to take her for a little ride.  I had turned my back for a moment when Jon's skate blade had gotten caught in a deep ice rut and the two of them went crashing to the ice.  I turned only to see them both on the ice and the others telling me about the near miss of Lexi's head skimming the ice.  I am grateful I didn't witness the fall.  My stomach flip-flopped and twisted in knots just hearing about it and imagining all the horrific what ifs...  Lexi was completely fine, unaffected by the ordeal because of her daddy who maneuvered and twisted and protected her from any harm.  Jon ended up with a badly bruised knee that is still a little tender today.  As quickly as the incident happened...it was over and we continued on enjoying our Bonus Day.

Old Man Winter is digging in his heels and we are putting our trust in a portly ground hog to tell us when spring will be here.  We could move.  We could relocate to the warm tropics with palm trees swaying in the breeze providing shade from the warm, glorious sun.  But home is where you make it.  And we have made this our home.