Snow Days

Snow days in New England, perhaps any where, start out with such promise. "We'll have a fire!," my husband enthuses. "I'll thaw a turkey!" he adds. "I'll bake!," I answer. But first I'll sleep in...

So much for good intentions. You would think it was Christmas morning. Several pouncing boys at 7:30am and ninety minutes, two coffees, and piles of French toast later--which I made only because my sons were relentless--I attempt to sneak away to my office. There I watch the snow fall, heavy and clumping, outside of my window and attempt to write. The fire is spitting in the hearth downstairs, the boys are rolling around in front of it fighting over a pile of toys, and my husband has retained control of the remote control for the day (although he did put together an incredible mid-afternoon turkey feast for which I am grateful).

Soon I am found by my boys and the bid for the computer ensues. Somehow, books, games, even television, are not sufficient when Mom is trying to work. The snow-slush-rain mix proves too wet for any outdoor play and besides, I keep trying to put away the snow boots, the snow pants, and all of the winter gear that clogs our kitchen and anterooms. [Converting the unused "breakfast room" into an official mud room remains an elusive dream, but it has become one in its own jumbled way, as well as the kitchen table which is often heaped with coats, hats, and general winter gear.] It is April 12th and you'd think I could at least put them in the washing machine for the last time this season.

This winter has been such a tease in New England: a Christmas without snow, balmy weather through mid-January, a Valentine's Day blizzard, and February in April. Another nor'easter is predicted for Patriot's Day, on Monday, and I can't really envision thousands of Boston Marathoners fighting a wintry tempest.

A snow day is delicious before Christmas, fun in January and February, perhaps in March, but by April, with some flirtations with warmer weather, the glimpse of a few patches of bare earth and nesting birds, it's time for spring.

In the meantime I hide in my office away from the fray and e-mail my girlfriends about what else? The weather, cabin fever, and just about anything you can imagine. And watch the white flakes tumble down.