First snow of 2007

The first snow of the winter finally hit last week. We got a whole inch or so -- several feet less than the amount New Paltz has usually been hit with by this time of year.

The snow arrived in the afternoon, floating down effortlessly just in time to make the last few miles of my drive a bit more dangerous than usual. I was most careful when it came to the narrow path between the lakes on our long driveway. Because the road dips down as you approach the water, there is a tendency to speed up just as you should actually be slowing down. It means the difference between bumping into a tree or slipping into a lake (or onto a lake, in this case, since the ice is probably thick enough to support a car by now).

The kids were excited to walk up the hill from the bus dropoff, so Shirra let them meander up to the house together as she slowly made it back up the road in the warmth of her car. When I arrived five hours later, I smiled at the footprints in the snow leading all the way to the house, visible evidence of the sweet time they must have had, chatting for the half-mile trip home from the road as they commented about the snow falling and the snow already fallen.

It was cold enough that night for the snow to stick and stay, and in the morning, we were all thrilled to hear that the schools had delayed their start by two hours. That meant that the kids didn't lose a day of school (which would have cut into their vacations, since snow days are made up during spring and summer recesses). But more importantly, it meant that they didn't miss a chance to enjoy sledding for the first time since moving to New Paltz.

The night before, I had wisely decided to buy a plastic tobaggan and a large disc of some sort, both perfect for our small hill. So by 7:45 the next morning, the kids were all decked out in their winter finery. Emmett's snowpants made that familiar whistling sound as he ran around looking for hats and gloves. Little Maeve was so bundled that she could barely move.

The hill outside the house goes for about 75 feet, just enough to build up some decent speed and have a fun ride. Back in Brooklyn, the kids had to content themselves with the mini pseudo-hills that I'd build in our backyard, never more than 4 feet in either height or length. They still had fun, but most of their enjoyment back there was confined to making snow people or snow forts. And since we were quite a ways from the nearest hill, sledding seemed to be a luxury we never made time for. But now, the hill is literally our backyard.

It's a good thing they enjoyed the morning sledding because by afternoon, the snow had melted enough to thwart all attempts to enjoy it. We were supposed to get more snow or ice today, but so far none has fallen except some slushy stuff that's coming down as I write this. With any luck, tho, we'll soon have another morning of discs and toboggans.