January

It is supposed to snow tonight, and I can already feel the chill seeping into our home. This morning it was sunny and clear, and nearly 60, but we are supposed to wake up under a blanket of fluffy white snow. (More likely, because we are in a valley, we will wake up sodden, coated with cold, wet, icy rain, little gravel slushies in the streets and on the sidewalks.)

I remember when I was a child, my music teacher, Ms. Eyler, used to tell us all to go home and put our pjs on and dance and sing "Let it Snow" the night before a big snowstorm was supposed to hit the area. I wonder if children still do that?

Where I grew up, it seldom snowed a measurable amount. My best friend, Jen, and I would dance and dance, but it never made any difference. We were always disappointed to see just an inch or two of snow on the ground the next morning, barely enough to scrape into a snowman. We might get one or two 3 inch snowstorms a year, but that is really not much, compared to what we have gotten since we moved here. In the beginning of December we had about a foot on the ground at one time, and it lasted most of the month. January, though, has been warm and mild up to this point.

It's about time for a cold snap, and a visit from the north wind, who bites your cheeks and knocks the wind out of you.

I'll keep you posted.