Snowy

Yep, it's snowing.  And the kids are on early dismissal.

I love snow.  So pretty, so quiet.

It warms my heart, even though it is so cold.  When I'm tense or in pain, snow is my happy place.  Each snow adds to my repository of mental images--small, dry snow that is barely visible; thick, wet, fluffy stuff that clings to everything; sun on snow the day after; snow so thick and fast that you can't see the houses down the street, all the pretty little flakes with their intricate and unique designs; when it glitters in the light; horizontal snow, tornadic snow, "snow wind," snow that blows up; drifts on windowsills; snow stuck to windowscreens and walls.  Today, it's dry and small, with no real flakes, barely dusting the ground.

But it will pile up soon enough, inches and inches worth.  The snow ice cream bowls are already out.  I have stockpiles of hot chocolate and marshmallows and a new (proprietary) recipe for honey buttered popcorn from Heather Bruggeman's current Hibernate workshop.  And this morning, Sis and I filled little balloons full of colored water.  Oddly, the balloons didn't expand, even with the water pressure, so the frozen colored balls will be small.  And I have bigger bubble bottles and blowers for tomorrow's 5F degree morning and probable school holiday.