The winter wonderland unfolded with 6 inches of snow falling throughout the night and utterly delighted the child in me.
School closed.
Friends gathered.
Snow forts emerged.
A few days later the ice storm descended in the night freezing the winter wonderland into place.
Needle by needle. Branch by branch. Magnificent to behold.
Enchanted by the frozen world, I would catch my breathe as I admired the artistry of mother nature.
The sleds are propped against the tree in the background, waiting patiently for the kids to tumble out of bed.
Of course, navigating the ice is not nearly as picturesque. Nor is nature's pruning of my trees with the weight of the ice. Too oft it is easy to overlook the beauty of the storm, as I embrace this icy reality.
But not this morning.
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My childhood memories of snow are fond. I recall tobogganing down the hills with my brother. Each time we would edge closer to the steepest part of the hill...and sometimes flying off the embankments. Oh, we would argue about whose turn it was to pull the toboggan up the hill, but somehow it always made it to the top again, and soon we would be flying back down!
