Snow business is one-of-a-kind!

Nothing beats a snow day

Peering out the windows at an unyielding blanket of white is a thrill I had forgotten. As a grown-up, you lose touch with the unbridled fun that follows a few inches of snow.

Anthony was more than happy to remind me all about it.

Anticipation for the winter storm

The weather forecasters had been talking about it for days, and the anticipation was ramping up. Anthony would watch the TV news with me, listening intently about the coming winter storm, the timing and the likely inches we’d be getting.

“Do you think we’ll get to play outside in it?” he asked me.

This was a welcome change from the winter of 2024. Outside of a single Saturday morning of slushy, wet snow, we didn’t have a chance to get out and play in the cold. No zooming down the local hills on a sled, no snow forts or snowball fights.

A winter wonderland

We woke on Monday morning to a blanket of white. Eight inches of powder turned our yard into a winter wonderland, and Anthony gasped when he looked outside.

“It looks like Alaska!” he exclaimed.

He was itching to get out and play, and once I could take a break from work, we bundled up to check it out. I unearthed his winter boots, waterproof snow pants, gloves, hat, winter coat and more in preparation for the cold. Once properly bundled, we waddled our way out.

Fun in the snow

After I had shoveled the driveway, we got right to games. Anthony wanted nothing more than a snowball fight, so we broke into teams — the Popsicles for him, the Polar Bears for me — and created bases of operation on opposite sides of the yard. I probably got him with a few more hits than he got me, but there was no doubt as we giggled and shouted that we were both winners.

We made a kind of bobsled track through the snow, packing it down with the sled first before I shoved Anthony down our backyard’s slope. He crashed more times than he completed the track, but couldn’t have been happier even as he tumbled over.

Back inside

About an hour of playing and it was time to go back inside. We were cold, wet, tired, but happy.

Though we’ve still taken advantage of the snow the rest of this week, nothing compares to that first swath of untouched white that we found Monday afternoon.

Now we’re just waiting for the next storm to head our way. The sleds are ready, the boots are out, and the Popsicles and Polar Bears are ready for round two.

Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].