A pic I took a couple of years ago.

“What good is the warmth summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” – John Steinbeck  Travels With Charley: In Search of America

October must have been in a hurry to get out of Dodge as it gets out of the way to let November in.  It flew by.  I don’t know if it is because I am getting older, but time seems to have accelerated the last couple of years.  The new year 2018 will be upon us before we know it.

I have mixed feelings as October moves on.  It always brings back childhood memories of jumping in a pile of fresh leaves, bonfires, apple cider, trick or treating, and the quest to have the perfect “hoodie”.  Chili cook-offs, picking apples, searching for the right pumpkin so I can make the Great Pumpkin proud.

On the other hand I am definitely a “snow bunny”.  I love to walk in the woods as the snow falls around me.  If you stop and listen real hard you can actually hear it snowing.  Making snow angels, drinking hot chocolate watching the snow fall, watching the fire dance in the wood stove, these are some of my favorite things about winter.

Another pic I took.

Growing up in the 50s and 60s found us being quite resourceful when it came to sledding.  I remember one year we used the hood of an old Buick for a sled.  I don’t remember what year car it was but it was one of those hoods that came to a point in the front.  It seemed enormous to us back then.  Heavy it was and took two of us to pull it back up the hill.  We could get 7 of us on it then we would go zipping down the hill at speeds that seemed like 60 mph back then.  Only problem was steering.  It had none and one day it went farther than usual and it ended up under a parked car.  We all got knocked off and thanks to all the winter clothes we walked away with just bruises.

Another favorite of winter was “snow cream”.  My mom made the best “snow cream” you ever ate I tells ya.  She would make chocolate or vanilla.  Someone said one time you weren’t supposed to eat the first snow but it didn’t stop us and we survived.  Snow ball fights, snow forts and making a snowman another few of my favorite things about winter.

“My old grandmother always used to say, Summer friends will melt away like summer snows, but winter friends are friends forever.”  – George R.R. Martin  A Feast For Crows

So as October make its exit and November comes to the forefront I think of all my winter friends and think how lucky I am to have them.  I can smell the hot chocolate.

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