Sunday, April 17, 2016

It's Coming...Part two...Snow at Last!

The much anticipated blizzard had come and wrecked havoc in my yard.  My truck was a hostage in the garage.  I needed to be in Texas in two days.  What was I to do?

It was my cousin, Norris, to the rescue riding in on his white van.  We hauled my suitcases through the snow and over the broken tree.  He deposited me at the airport to rent a car.  I was on my way to Texas to bring home treasures from my parent's house.

But that wasn't the only thing I brought home with me.  I brought back a brother-in-law.  A brother-in-law, Jack, who had never seen snow!  Did I have some snow for him!

Jack has been obsessed with snow for years.  He would venture north in the dead of winter only to meet with a heat wave.  The two day trek from Texas to Iowa was like riding with a small child.  "Are we there yet?  When do we see snow?  I don't see any snow.  Are you sure there's snow at your house?"

My sister, Claudia, has a different attitude about this winter and snow thing.  She hates it. I was given my marching orders as we departed Houston.  "Make him cold.  Get his blue jeans wet.  Take away his mittens.  Get this out of his system!"

Jack and I arrived at my disheveled winter wonderland on a cold winter afternoon.  The electric wire was strung proudly in the air to my house.  But the sad pin oak still lay strewn about the driveway and front yard.  It was then I realized my mistake.  I had left my house key inside my locked house.

Luckily I had one hidden.  I instructed Jack to put on his boots and follow me.  (He brought knee high wader boots.)  We tromped through the snow with Jack oohing and awing over snow at last.  The wind had blown leaving about a three foot drift I had to jump down to retrieve the key.

Key in hand I was uncertain how to scale the almost chest high drift.  Jack being the gentleman held out his hand for me.  I reached to grab it when the most hysterical thing brought tears to my eyes. Jack started to disappear.  In slow motion he sunk into the snow.

Tears ran down my face as I convulsed in laughter.  He managed to pull himself out of his snow bondage.  I assessed the situation.  No mittens.  Blue jeans soaked.  Snow inside his wader boots.

Text to Claudia:  "Mission Complete!"

This did not deter Jack.  He high tailed it into the house.  After several rotating twists in front of a heating register he was ready to tackle the snow for real this time.

I decided to "dress" him this time.  "Yes, you need snow pants.  No, I don't have any that will fit you."

Jack pulled on my son's snow pants.  (Robby keeps them stashed here.  There doesn't seem to be a large supply of snow in Florida.)  They were snug in the waist, but the length was a problem.  Robby is a few inches taller than Jack.  We managed to scrunch them up around his boots.  The crotch was almost to his knees.  But isn't that the style anyway?

The next few days were a blur of snowball fights.  Which I might proudly add, I won.  In Jack's defense he had never participated in a frozen fight before.  He did improve his skill.  I will practice more.  I can't have a southern boy whoop my butt at snowballing.

Jack made his first snow man.  He was a proud sculptor.  I sent a picture to Claudia.

Her reply, "Why isn't he cold?"

A few days later the temperatures started to rise.  Jack squinted out the window at his snowman.  He shrieked in dismay, "My snow man has become a snow woman!"

Tragedy hit the next morning.  The snow man/woman lay in melting parts across the ground.  Jack was beside himself.  What probably hurt more was my snow man was still standing.  I didn't mention to him I had more practice.  Instead I strolled outside and freshened up my white friend.

I'm sorry to tell Claudia, but this winter obsession of Jack's is not gone.  Getting a taste of it may have intensified his need to have more winter.

However, I do think in the end the southern boy was happy to fly off into the dawn to a place where snow doesn't exist.  A place where his wife was waiting for him clad in shorts and a tee shirt.