It snowed last week. It snowed a little bit almost every day. Some days it snowed a lot. Wednesday was the big one. They canceled school. It snowed all day and added ten new inches to what was already on the ground. At this point I just keep reminding myself that it will all go away eventually. Eventually is a nice concept. It’s hopeful and yet not specific. I know that the snow will melt and spring will come – eventually.
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| After the big snow. |
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| Thursday morning after the snow. |
It’s been a party at our house this weekend. The Fosters, the Thayns, and the Shillig boys all arrived on Thursday evening. I love having a house full of family. There’s always something going on – a treasure hunt (thanks Uncle Johnny!), a game, a meal, or just a conversation. It’s great.
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| Hazel June on a treasure hunt their Uncle Johnny sent them. |
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| Mable. |
Rachel’s birthday was on Wednesday the 7th. We celebrated on Friday the 9th. Sarah baked her a beautiful cake. There were nice gifts.
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| The cake Sarah made for Rachel. |
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| Happy birthday Rachel! |
The Winter Olympics began on Thursday. I’m not a sports fan and don’t usually watch sports on TV, but I like to watch the Olympics. We’ve been gathering upstairs several times a day to catch up on some of our favorite events. We especially like the ice skating and snow boarding.
On Saturday the weather warmed into the 40's which made the day perfect for playing in the snow. The warmth made the snow wet and slippery which was great for sledding, and it packed beautifully, which was perfect for making a snowman and an igloo.
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| Sarah, Hazel, and June headed out sledding. |
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| Hazel sledding. |
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| Sarah and June. |
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| Our snowman. |
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| The igloo builders - Enoch, Asa, and Tabor. |
This morning the weather was not good. Stacey and I were the first to leave for church. The temperature was just above freezing and the roads were icy, but we decided to go anyway. It was not a good decision. I was driving. We drove very slowly up highway 449 – 40 MPH was as fast as we dared go even on the flat stretches. Going down Piangetelli Hill was scary. The slope of the road made the car accelerate but I couldn’t put the brake on because I knew we would slide. We made it down the hill and breathed a tense sigh of relief. Foolishly, we drove on. As we came around the corner before the Natural Food Store, we saw the PennDOT plow truck ahead. It had lost control and slid across the road, blocking both lanes. I started to brake to avoid hitting it, but the car went into a slide. I had to steer it across the road and up onto the bank to stop it. The PennDOT truck driver turned out to be our friend Rhoda. Another PennDOT pickup truck came by. They let us telephone home to tell the rest of the family not to leave the house. Rhoda got the plow truck moving and the men in the pickup truck gave us a ride home. So we didn’t go to church today. Later in the day we drove up and pulled the car off the bank and brought it home. It wasn’t damaged at all. Too much adventure for me.
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| Off the road. |
Today is my birthday. All week long, every day, there were birthday cars for me in the mail. For some reason – maybe because it’s my big 60th – I’ve received more birthday cards than ever. I loved getting cards from so many family members, friends, some people I haven’t seen in years, and some that I’ve never even met before in person. I also received many birthday wishes on facebook. It made me happy. Since we didn’t go to church today, we decided to open presents before lunch. I got some nice gifts – some books, some gloves, some shirts. The big gift was a total surprise from my children – a greenhouse kit! Now I can hardly wait for spring so I can put it up. What a nice birthday! I think I should turn 60 more often.
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| Birthday cards. |
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| The cake Sarah made for me. |
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| A birthday card from Uncle Johnny. |
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| The greenhouse in its box until spring. |
We’re about to eat lunch now – spaghetti and focaccia. After that we’ll have more birthday cake. Sarah made me a cake that I can actually eat and it is delicious. Then we’ll spend the rest of the day having fun together – play some games, watch a bit of the Olympics, just hanging around. Good times.
