Snowballed...

 

It's Snowmageddon 2015!  Yes, on Superbowl Sunday 'ol Mother Nature decided to show us who truly is the boss.  The schools are closed, and the city is digging out.  But, what's unusual for Detroit was completely normal for us growing up in northern Michigan.  Huge snowstorms were just a fact of life.  The additional days off were built into our school system and rarely did we go past the regular 'last day'-a nod to excellent planning. 

As kids, we always had a working snowmobile or two, and snow days were spent zooming around just trying to get stuck.  Yes, without even drivers licenses, we took to the main roads usually pulling a saucer on a long rope.  By the grace of God, nobody got killed as we played chicken with cars and snow plows. We tunneled thru the giant snow piles and made really cool igloos-that probably could have collapsed and smothered us all at any time.  Our frozen bodies would not be discovered till spring thaw.  The giant icicles that hung from our eaves made wonderful Popsicle's and even better swords that could be used in our fencing battles.  Again, it was nothing but luck that kept us from being properly impaled in the scull with one of those pointed, 6 foot beauties.  You know it's all fun and games till someone needs a cat scan.   Surprisingly, our digits are intact today even with the regular risk of frostbite and hypothermia that we gladly risked just to play outside.

Inside was another story.  Mom always had the brains to get to the IGA and stock up on milk and other basics.  Up north, where we had a well system, if the power went out, we had no water.  Mom would always scrub out the tub and fill it with water allowing us to wash up and flush the toilet.  Often the power went out and for sometimes days that meant no lights, t.v., or well, anything electric, including the stove.  Candles were always kept handy and someone usually suffered a third degree finger burn for playing in the hot wax. 

Dangerous days, those snow days.  After a few days, things would return to normal until the next time.  Living through those days were a bit of a challenge, but time has softened the memory to a smile.  A very warm one.    xo