Reflections off the snow

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to see at night after a snow storm or even when the snow is still falling?  Of course, those moonlight rays are reflected beautifully from that blanket of white, almost as if someone had turned on the lights.  Even if the clouds haven't cleared from the skies, there is plenty of background light to maneuver about after the Sun has gone down.  During a recent snow storm, I was reminded of a few snowy adventures from the past, and now that it's snowing again, I thought it was time to share those memories.

Growing up in New England almost guaranteed that a few winter storms would come our way every year, and if they became real nor'easters, well then, you could anticipate a whole pile of the white stuff.  I remember this one huge snow storm, just around Christmas of 1964, that "dumped" about 18-20 inches on us.  In those days, everyone in the family was expected to pick up a shovel and start clearing the driveway, and age was not an exclusion either.  So after bundling up, we'd all head out to start the process of clearing the snow.  On this particular occasion, after getting the some of the driveway cleared, my older sister moved the old blue Fairlane station wagon, but failed to keep it on the driveway.  We spent the next hour digging it out of the snow banks we had created.  Of course, just about the time we'd be finishing, the city plows would come by and push all of that heavy, compacted snow back into the end of the driveway again.  Ugh!

One New Year's eve, my younger brother and I made a night of exploring the back woods during a major storm.  We spent hours out trekking around on foot, using nothing but the reflective moon light to see our way.  We imagined ourselves as rangers out on a recognisance mission with the snow plows as the enemy tank brigade.  In spite of the elements, our imaginations didn't permit us the time to feel tired or cold.  As I recall, that was another monster storm, however, we "weathered" it safely and still managed to get the shoveling done before our parents got home.

Yes, a good snow storm can be very exciting what with the prospects of a snow day from school or even a slower day at work.  After a freshly fallen snow, we'd make snow angels or igloos out of the piles of snow from all that plowing.   However, what I have always found soothing is how quiet everything becomes and just how easy it is to see, even as the darkness falls.  So, the next time there's a snow storm, don't despair.  Just get out there and enjoy it for all it's worth.  "Snow Bound", written by John Greenleaf Whittier, revealed the merits of being stopped in time by the falling snow.  Time does seem to stand still, although as you can see, none of us did!